The Fantasy Games : Revenge of the Victors
by missingnown
Summary: In the final part of the Fantasy Games Trilogy,Slowking has finally realised the plight of his son Slowpoke. Slowking has to save Slowpoke from the evil clutches of Mewtwo. But can he achieve such a difficult feat? Or would he die in his valiant attempt? Read on to find out. (For readers new to the Fantasy Games series, check my profile and start reading from Desperate Murderer)
1. Don't Start from Here!

**The Fantasy Games : Revenge of the Victors**

**Hi people! This is a sequel (and the last part) of the series The Fantasy Games.**

**What you are reading now is Part 3. **

**So, if you are new here, please don't read on any further. I mean it. Don't start from here. It would be a terrible mistake! The links to my previous fanfictions can be found in my profile. Go read them instead. Start from Desperate Murderer. (it's the first one)**

**I repeat... DO NOT START FROM HERE**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Gosh, aren't you persistent? Why are you still here? Here are some steps you need to follow. (if you are new here)**

**Step One: Click on my Profile Page**

**Step Two: Find "The Fantasy Games: Desperate Murderer."**

**Step Three: Start from there**

**Step Four: Leave a review :D**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**STOP! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING! **

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Okay, with all those new readers going to read my other fanfictions ( I assume, please tell me I'm right), I shall officially begin.**

Chapter 1 (Don't Start from Here)

(Slowking's POV)

You there! Yes, you. The one who is looking into my life right now. Don't pretend, I know it's you. I'm really sorry, but I have really no time to entertain you right now. Not that I don't like you. You just came to the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm in a big rush. I need to save my son Slowpoke from his impending doom. What happened? He is trapped in this castle known as the Fantasy, where the Pokemon there are supposed to play this game called "Murderer"(also known as The Fantasy Games). The appointed murderer would have to kill the other Pokemon without exposing his identity. How do I know this, you ask. Well, I've played the game before. I still remember the horrible memory of Mewtwo's Houndooms knocking me out with their evil Sucker Punches before bringing me to the nightmarish castle.

I see quizzical looks from you. You must be wondering : If I had survived the Fantasy Games and lived to tell the tale, why didn't I stop Slowpoke from participating in this sadistic event? Sigh... That's why I don't want you to interfere in my rescue efforts. Human beings love to ask questions. That insatiable curiosity is definitely, so definitely going to help in saving Slowpoke.

The reason why I still allowed Slowpoke to join the Fantasy Games was because after every round of the Fantasy Games, the survivors' memories would be erased by this thingie that Mewtwo calls the Memory Chamber. All memories of the participants would be collected and stored in the chamber. But somehow, my memories had just returned to me. Maybe the Memory Chamber malfunctioned.

You! Why are you still here? Oh well, accompany me at your own risk, I would be the last to save you if Mewtwo decides to kill you. Or worse, if Mewtwo forces you to play the Fantasy Games. That would be interesting. But please, I beg you. Don't be a hindrance. I need all the help I can get to rescue Slowpoke, or if it is possible, to destroy Mewtwo.

I rushed out of my home, but was stopped in my tracks. Where was the Fantasy? If I didn't know where it was, how could I even reach there?

I racked my brains, trying to recollect the route I took to go there. I could recall nothing. Then I realised that it wasn't my fault. The van that took me there had absolutely no windows. How would I know where to go? I attempted to visualise the surroundings near the Fantasy. However, I could only remember a dense forest. It surely wasn't Viridian Forest. That forest looked more like a park.

I was at a loss. Maybe the Memory Chamber should have stayed intact. In this way, I wouldn't have to remember all those deaths, I wouldn't have to regain those traumatic memories. I wouldn't...

But if I didn't know about Slowpoke's plight, there was zero chance that he could be saved. He would be doomed. I believe the malfunctioned Memory Chamber was a sign from Arceus that I needed to do something. If I tried hard enough, Slowpoke would have a fighting chance of survival.

I hurried to my neighbour Bibarel. "Bibarel, do you know where the Fantasy is? It's a castle with Murkrow black walls." I asked, with my words rattling off like a machine gun.

"How would I know? I thought Psychic type Pokemon like you should know better. After all, you guys are the ones dealing with those mythical stuff." Bibarel replied with surprise.

What the hell was I doing? Why was I asking a dumb Bibarel where the Fantasy was? No offense to him, but he is really quite stupid. The last time I remembered, he put toothpaste on his "Magikarp and Chips",, thinking that it was mayonnaise. Nevertheless, he's quite a friendly chap.

"Flap Flap". The familiar sound of Pelipper the postman flapping his wings hovered above me. Ah! That's it! The postman should know the answer!

"Hey Pelipper! Do you know of this place known as the Fantasy? It's a black castle." I shouted.

"What? The Fantasy? I don't think we Pelippers have delivered mail there before. I don't know of such a place. I'm sorry." the cheerful Pelipper replied. "To be honest, I'm surprised that such a place exists!" he continued.

"That's because I..." before I could finish my sentence, Pelipper shook his head, and flew off saying: "Sorry dude, I'm really busy today. I have a whole stack of mail to deliver. Bye!"

Why doesn't anyone know where the Fantasy is? Is that place so remote? Argh, I shouldn't complain too much. After all, if the Memory Chamber had not malfunctioned, I wouldn't even be aware of Slowpoke's deadly situation.

Wait a minute, I can't be the only survivor of the Fantasy Games right? The chance of me being a participant in the very first Fantasy Games isn't very high. There definitely has to be more survivors of the Fantasy Games isn't it? So maybe if I ask more Pokemon, maybe someone would remember it.

I walked around Lilycove City (my hometown) and continued asking Pokemon whether they have heard of the Fantasy, or remember this event called the Fantasy Games.

"Nope," replied a Vulpix.

"Huh?" said a Slaking.

"Never heard of it." answered a Hydreigon.

"Wha what? What games?" babbled an Ursaring.

With every response, my morale dwindled. Hope was slowly evaporating from me. I was about to give up when I caught sight of a gloomy Vileplume.

"Hey Vileplume, have you heard of this place known as the Fantasy?" I asked, with my morale clutching at straws in the deep blue sea.

Vileplume was stunned. "Why do you mention such an evil place?" she gasped, half in fear, half with shock

"So you do know such a place!" I pumped my fists in the air. "Come with me, we need to save..." I cheered before getting hit by a Stun Spore.

"I'm not going anywhere near that wretched place! I thought Mewtwo said that winners wouldn't have to come back. Why are you still hounding me? Leave now, before I kill you with my Giga Drain!" Vileplume thundered, not realising that there was no way I could leave due to my paralysis.

"Calm down! I'm not one of Mewtwo's minions! Why would he send a Water type like me to bring you there!" I wheezed, still afflicted by the annoying spores. "I need your help in saving my son Slowpoke! He's trapped in the Fantasy and playing the diabolical game."

Vileplume looked convinced. "But we wouldn't be able to save Slowpoke alone. Mewtwo is simply too strong. " she said dejectedly.

"You are have a point. Well, I guess we need to ask more Pokemon to join us." I muttered.

"How many can we recruit? And even if we recruit a hundred, by the time we get there, it would be too late. Maybe Slowpoke would have already died." Vileplume countered. "Maybe we just get one more Pokemon to join us. After all, I'm sure the road to the Fantasy would be tough. We can't afford anyone being a burden to our cause." she continued.

"Which reminds me, do you know the way to the Fantasy?" I enquired. Vileplume shook her head rapidly. "The van that brought me there had no windows. I couldn't see a thing." she protested. "Maybe we could ask the police." Vileplume suggested. I nodded my head in agreement as we made our way to the Lucario Arcanine Police Station.

"Do you know this place called the Fantasy?" I asked a Lucario sitting at the counter. He was obviously the chief, as he was in his Mega form.

The Aura Pokemon flinched momentarily. His aura sensing appendages on his head rose slightly. His paws clenched, before he forced them open again. "I... don't know." he replied, trying to mask his emotions. But I noticed the strange expression. The expression of someone who isn't telling the truth. Sensing my upper hand, I pressed home my advantage.

"Don't lie." I snapped. I was mildly shocked at my own defiant tone. Under normal circumstances, no one would have dared to be rude to the head of the police force. Lucario's normally calm face was trying to control itself, with the temporary flash of fury appearing on his face. I could tell he was resisting the urge to pin me against the wall. He could easily defeat me and Vileplume. He gave me a death stare. I was unnerved, and gazed away momentarily, only to hear Lucario sigh.

"Yeah, I'm lying. I'm sorry. I just don't dare to attack Mewtwo." Lucario said softly.

"You must understand, in the fight with Mewtwo three years ago, I lost a third of my police force. Mewtwo was still unscathed. Recently, while another Lucario was sent to spy on Mewtwo, he never returned. Just a while ago, during this month, an Arcanine was killed, and his Growlithe was abducted. You see, I'm really powerless in the war against Mewtwo. His powers are too strong. His Psychic powers even has a fifty-fifty chance to penetrate weaker Dark Pokemon! So after much consideration and discussions I've had with the police force, we decided to give up in our pursuit of Mewtwo. I'm really sorry to have let you guys down." Lucario continued apologetically, with a tear dripping down his face.

"Oh don't cry! It's alright, we understand." Vileplume squealed. "But do you know where the Fantasy is?"

"I only remember a fraction of it. Coincidentally, all the Lucarios and Arcanines who know the way there are either dead or in hospital.I think if I were to try to help you, you Pokemon would be unable to find your way there." Lucario replied sadly, his ears drooping,

"But there is another way to reach there. You could ask Xatu to tell you where the Fantasy is. She knows everything. She resides in the Hill of the Ancients. I hope that is enough information for you. I wish you all the best" Lucario said, before waving his hand.

"Yeah, it is. Thank you so much. Goodbye." I replied briskly before leaving. Vileplume quickly followed.

"Okay... Hill of the Ancients. Let's go." I said.

"We have a problem. None of us can fly. The only way to reach there quickly is to fly there." Vileplume asked worriedly.

"Argh. Maybe we can ask some flying types around here." I suggested. "Okay."

The first one we asked was a merry Altaria. But because I wanted to go to the Fantasy directly, I first asked. " Do you know where the Fantasy is? It's a black castle, with a dense forest around it."

"Oh yes! I do know of such a place. It's puzzling that you don't know." Altaria replied. He was obviously on cloud nine. (pun intended)

Vileplume looked at me with her eyebrows raised. It's puzzling that one should be so happy to know about such a dreadful place.

"I can bring you there if you like." Altaria continued, his fluffy wings waving with energy.

"Okay." I replied simply.

"There's only one way to go there."

"Step One: Close your eyes."

I shut my eyes with anticipation.

"Step Two: Visualise the Fantasy. Visualise the black walls, the dense forest looming around it, the fear that the castle emits..."

I did as I was told. Wow, no wonder why nobody knows how to get there. What a unique idea.

"And voila! There you are. In your fantasy! I'm still wondering why you want to go to such a desolate place."

"How did you know it's desolate?" Vileplume asked curiously, still closing her eyes. Does this mean that Altaria knows what has happened there?

"Well, of all things that you can dream about, you want a black castle with a dense forest. Hahaha! This is amusing. I hope you enjoy your imagination. No need to thank me." Altaria smiled gaily.

Realising that Altaria had completely no idea what we meant, I unleashed a Psyshock on Altaria. Altaria tried to evade the purple beam, but was paralysed by Vileplume's Stun Spore.

"What a waste of time!" we yelled in unison.

"What? After all I have done to help you, you attack me? You ungrateful ingrates!" Altaria sputtered as we stormed off..

.

.

.

.

After ten minutes, we spotted a Charizard flying past us. It looked angry. Was he also forced to join the Fantasy Games then?

"Hey Charizard! Do you know this place called the Fantasy?" Vileplume cried out.

"I can't wait to roast Mewtwo with my flames! That bastard forced me to..." Charizard roared. The orange Flame Pokemon flailed his claws, swiping at an imaginary target.

" We understand. We can help you!" Vileplume replied.

After explaining to Charizard that we had similar intentions, he readily joined us. All of us were ready to save Slowpoke, and remove Mewtwo from this world.

"I don't know where the Fantasy is, but I'm sure I could take you Pokemon to the Hill of the Ancients. Climb on!" Charizard said as he carried us on his back, charging towards Xatu's home like a bull chasing a red flag. "Hang on tight!" he warned, soaring through the air.

**Author's note: I'm sorry about the last part, it seems abrupt. I would definitely fix them later.**

**Please leave reviews and comments on my work. I want to improve on my story. Even fixing grammar errors is important :)**

**And just a last reminder : IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING, PLEASE READ MY EARLIER STORIES TO KNOW MORE. CHECK MY PROFILE. (cause FFN doesn't allow links)**


	2. Real Investigations Finally Begin

Chapter 2 ("Real" Investigations Finally Begin)

**Hi people! Sorry for the long wait. I was really busy. Thanks for pestering me to update my stories. I love the motivation. Feel free to PM me or give a review saying "Update pls" whenever you need me to continue :)**

(Mewtwo's POV)

I returned to the Fantasy after a short trip to my friend Deoxys. My visit was shorter than expected, because of this cursed Slowpoke. He entered my room! And together with the pesky Treecko, they destroyed my memory box inside the Memory Chamber! Curses! At that time, I was wolfing down such a fine dinner. Why the hell do those twerps have to interrupt my meal? To prevent them from any more mischief, I swiftly teleported back to the Fantasy, ensuring that they don't meddle with my stuff any longer.

As I re-entered my room, I realised that there was actually no need for me to return. Slowpoke loves Treecko too much. He wouldn't bear to kill her. Furthermore, he's actually helping me. He simply can't accept the fact that Treecko has to die. So by convincing Treecko not to kill herself, the Fantasy Games can still continue.

But after the Fantasy Games, all of them have to die. I won't allow anyone remembering this event. I can't have pressure knocking on my door every week. Just some time ago, a Lucario was sent to spy on me. I still remember that incident.

(Some time ago... )

(Narrator)

Before Mewtwo learned Aura Sphere, he was trying to perfect his Psystrike. He wanted his Psystrike to be able to go through the Dark typing with ease. Currently, [or rather, at that time] his success rate was only a mere 15%. Therefore, Mewtwo decided that he needed to get an alternative move to deal with those Dark type Pokemon. The few Fighting moves that Mewtwo could learn was Brick Break and Rock Smash. But Mewtwo wasn't satisfied. He wanted a groundbreaking Fighting move that would deter all Dark Type Pokemon to even have the courage to stand before Mewtwo. Hence, the only move he could think of was Close Combat. [Superpower sucks lolz]

It was a challenge to learn something like that. Even Alakazam, with its supernatural intelligence, could not learn moves that were not compatible with it. Well, that was said from the late Hypno, Mewtwo's head minion, who was executed on the spot after advising Mewtwo to give up on trying to learn Close Combat. "How dare you compare me with that moron? I am a genius!" roared Mewtwo as he blasted Hypno with the almighty Psystrike.

When the Lucario was caught, Mewtwo noticed that Lucario had access to the move Close Combat. Mewtwo then demanded Lucario to teach Mewtwo the procedure of unleashing such a terrifying blow. "I would reward you." Mewtwo told the jittery Lucario.

The desperate Lucario was on his wits end. He didn't want to aid Mewtwo in enhancing his already sky high offensive powers, but neither did he want to risk incurring the wrath of the Genetic Pokemon. Considering the fact that he had already tread o Mewtwo's toes, he needed to do his utmost to appease him. In order to maximize the chance of the police apprehending the criminal, he must get out of the Fantasy alive. Lucario thought: 'So what if Mewtwo has Close Combat? He was already so powerful; the Fighting move would be quite irrelevant.'

After three grueling days, Mewtwo had perfected the art of Close Combat as he channeled his newly acquired power onto a wooden dummy. The dummy was split into a million pieces.

"I hope you are satisfied." Lucario muttered cautiously. His aura sensing appendages on its head sensed Mewtwo's satisfaction

"Indeed I am. And as I mentioned, you would be duly rewarded." Mewtwo replied with a genuine smile.

"Thank you very much. May I ask what my reward is?" Lucario spoke, expecting Mewtwo to set him free.

"Originally, if you had refused to help me, I would have tortured you to death. But since you have helped me, I have to keep my word. Your reward is..." Mewtwo gave a dramatic pause. "A swift death" he declared as he lunged as at the terror stricken Lucario, pummeling the Aura Pokemon with a series of rapid punches and kicks...

.

.

(Now)

(Narrator)

The Mewtwo now was ten times stronger. Not only did he have special access to the coveted Close Combat, but his Psychic powers have strengthened to greater heights, having a fifty percent chance of penetrating the Dark typing. [However, this chance only meant that one in two Dark Pokemon would be affected by Mewtwo's Psystrike. Mewtwo does not obliterate a Dark type in two Psystrikes.]

Mewtwo was still muttering angrily to himself on his slip up, but a thought struck him. Why was he getting so worked up? So what if Slowking tries to rescue Slowpoke? He could easily destroy that stupid bear. Furthermore, can Slowking even find his way here? Knowing that there was nothing to fret about, Mewtwo lay on his bed, and started staring at the computer screens, watching the activities of the remaining Pokemon.

"Okay, after the opening of the box in the Memory Chamber, all we need to do is to wait for our rescue. In the meantime, promise me you that you wouldn't kill any more Pokemon." Slowpoke whispered to the trembling Treecko. Slowpoke had just found out that Treecko was the appointed murderer of the Fantasy Games. Treecko was still nervous, especially after Slowpoke exposed her hidden identity.

"But are you sure Slowking would rescue us? Don't you know how strong Mewtwo is? No offence to your dad, but Mewtwo is really dangerous. I don't think Slowking would be able to defeat Mewtwo alone." Treecko replied worriedly.

"That's why Slowking would need all the help he can gets. We need more of us alive to have a chance against this Psychic monster." Slowpoke reassured her. "Don't give up. Even if you kill yourself, Mewtwo would just claim another thirteen victims next year. We only have this opportunity to destroy Mewtwo. The future contestants might not have any relation to the survivors of past events." Slowpoke continued.

"I hope we can succeed." Treecko said softly. However, she wasn't convinced. Slowpoke sighed to himself. He would need to buy more time to prevent Treecko from ending the game. It was easy for her to do so. All it takes is a swift Leaf Blade to her throat, and all the other Pokemon would be teleported back home.

Or maybe they wouldn't. After all, the box containing the memories was shattered. (Treecko destroyed it later on). Mewtwo wouldn't want any tattletales. This convinced Slowpoke that it was of paramount importance to keep Treecko alive, so that the other Pokemon could still survive.

After a while, lunch was served. The four other Pokemon, Mareep, Froakie, Mienshao and Growlithe made their way to the dining room. "On the bright side, we can probably get some tastier food, considering the fact that there were two murders today." Growlithe mumbled dejectedly. The confident aura (some called it arrogance) that he once exuded was already gone.

Nobody said anything else. They were tired of the terrible blame game, that usually lead to innocents getting lynched for no reason. At that time, all the Pokemon needed was to find one single clue for them to accuse another Pokemon. No one had seriously considered the possibilities of a red herring.

"Okay, let's see what we have here," Growlithe said with growing anticipation. It was ages since he had something really sumptuous. Even on "good days, when a Pokemon died, the food served was nothing compared to his typical meal back at home. The puppy's stomach rumbled at the prospect of something yummy. Sadly, he was left disappointed, with a platter of mouldy bread, with a tiny spill of jam next to it.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GIVING ME MEWTWO? I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION! I thought you promised us delectable meals with every murder committed?"Growlithe roared at the top of his lungs.

"Please direct your anger to someone else Growlithe. One of you had broken a rule. So here's your punishment." Mewtwo replied coolly.

"Why don't you kill that guilty fellow? Why punish us?"Growlithe retorted, his temper rising steadily.

"Cause I don't want to. Period." Mewtwo chuckled.

Growlithe's eyes darted around the Pokemon, giving each of them death stares. "Who annoyed Mewtwo? Own up now!"Growlithe bellowed. A chilling silence responded.

"Well, it's time to take matters in my own paws. It's time we did some proper investigations." Growlithe snarled. "Every Pokemon has to prove his or her innocence. I would ask everyone questions regarding each murder. The truth shall emerge today."

"First of all, we have Croagunk's murder. He was killed due to incisions and stab wounds on his body. Slowpoke, where were you when Croagunk died?"Growlithe had begun his interrogation.

"I was asleep. Hey, you mentioned that he died due to stab wounds. So how could I be the murderer?"Slowpoke replied with raised eyebrows.

"No one suggested you are the murderer. How about the rest?"Growlithe asked coldly. But everyone else claimed they were asleep during the murder. "I was awakened by Croagunk's screams."Froakie commented.

"Oh yes I remember that. This brings me to another point, when you were chasing the murderer, why on earth couldn't you catch him? I thought you were a fast runner?"Growlithe asked.

"The murderer ran too quickly. He had a headstart." Froakie protested.

"So he outran you TWICE? I find it such a coincidence. Twice you woke up to chase the murderer. And twice you failed. Funnily, none of us could even hear a sound. How could you hear it TWICE? Even Drilbur's sharp hearing failed to pick up a hint of a murder being committed."Growlithe continued, obviously unconvinced.

"Cause... the murderer was faster." sighed Froakie. "Swear on your life that what you just said was true. If you are lying, Arceus would strike you with a bolt of lightning."Growlithe challenged.

"Wha ...what?"Froakie sputtered. " What's the matter? Are you scared? Is it because you just lied?"Growlithe sneered.

"Oh please. If Arceus would really strike us with lightning, the first Pokemon he should zap is Mewtwo."Mienfoo, being the non-superstitious type, interrupted quickly. Being a Fighting type, he only believed what he could see, so he never really believed in the idea of Arceus supervising the world.

"Ah, that brings me to your case. I find it really puzzling that if Caterpie was by your side the entire day, how could he just die under your protection? Wouldn't you have seen the murderer? Coincidentally, all the previous murders were committed at night, where Caterpie was not anywhere near you. You are suspicious too."Growlithe snapped with irritation.

"Watch your tongue you wretched puppy! Someone sneaked up on Caterpie and took him up the tree. Caterpie died shortly after due to burn wounds. I wasn't responsible!"Mienfoo shrieked.

"Well, Froakie is still the prime suspect."Growlithe mused.

"Then how do you explain the death of Kecleon? I was sitting at the table all the time!"the Bubble Frog yelled.

"We can't pin any blame on anyone regarding that murder. All of us were at the table."Slowpoke spoke.

"However, Axew was heard accusing Treecko of the murder. Does that mean anything?"Mareep said, with her small voice being barely audible.

"Hey! I was also eating my dinner. Axew was just being paranoid." Treecko protested wildly.

"But couldn't you run faster than Froakie?"Mienfoo pointed out. Treecko was momentarily stunned at the sudden question

"No... I can't. Froakie is quicker." Treecko mumbled. "Are you sure? I thought I failed to tag you during the first day." Froakie rebutted. "That was luck." Treecko replied quickly.

"Shall we test the validity of your statement? We could always have a race." Froakie pressed on.

Slowpoke dismissed the idea."That wouldn't be of any use. Both of you would deliberately slow down."he reasoned.

"Either way, I wasn't anywhere near the bucket. I was eating my dinner." Treecko harrumphed.

" All of us were in the dining room. But one of us here has to be the murderer."Growlithe said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"How can one of us be in two places at one time?" Mienfoo asked. He was confused at this spooky idea. "Maybe you jinxed our minds and caused us to have hallucinations!"Mienfoo squealed as he pointed an accusing at Slowpoke.

"If I could do that, I would have made all of you kill yourselves." Slowpoke rolled his eyes.

"The murderer probably has the move Double Team. The doppelganger could be sitting in the dining room while the Pokemon could have toppled the bucket." Growlithe declared. "You Pokemon show me your moves!"The Pokemon nodded their head in approval. Treecko was startled. She was scared at the prospect of Growlithe exposing her identity.

"Jump Kick, Pound, Detect and U-turn."Mienfoo said as he performed the moves.

"Thundershock, Heal Bell, Thunder Wave, and Tackle."Mareep said, continuing the pattern.

"Ha. Anyone could use Tackle. Maybe your last move was Double Team." Growlithe smirked.

"So you want to pick a fight now? Using this opportunity to kill me?"Mareep bleated indignantly. Growlithe clammed up.

"Bubblebeam, Bounce, Water Shuriken and Quick Attack." Froakie uttered, as he moved about swiftly, dispelling the notion that his Quick Attack could be faked.

"Psybeam, Water Gun, Slack Off, and Zen Headbutt." Slowpoke continued as his head turned into a deeper shade of pink, indicating the Psychic element in his headbutt.

"Wild Charge, Flare Blitz, Morning Sun, and Bite."Growlithe declared, his body changing colours with every move he performed.

And finally, it was Treecko's turn. She was at a loss. How would she bluff the Pokemon? She knew it was unlikely for ordinary Treeckos to learn Scratch or Tackle.

"Leaf Blade, Pound, Aerial Ace, and... " Treecko stammered nervously. Although she carried out the starting three moves with ease, she was still stumped.

"Well?" Growlithe asked.

"Oh, I forgot. Leer."Treecko stammered as she tried to give an intimidating stare. She directed her "move" at Slowpoke, signaling for his help.

"That doesn't look legitimate." Mienfoo commented. He was not really against Treecko but he still found Treecko's expression extraordinary

"Nah it works. I felt my defense fall slightly." Slowpoke hurriedly lied. Treecko looked at the purple bear gratefully.

"Then who has Double Team? One of you must be lying!" Growlithe hollered. "I think it's probably one of those who have suspicious moves like Tackle or Leer. Those moves can be easily fabricated"the canine accused.

Slowpoke didn't want Treecko to be under suspicion, so he tried to push some uncertainty to Growlithe. "Your Bite attack also looks counterfeit. When you attacked me during Caterpie's death, I did not feel the impact of your Bite attack. Are you sure you even own the Dark type move? It felt weak."

Growlithe took offense at Slowpoke's comment. He felt insulted. His orange face flushed with embarrassment. "Shut up you dumbass! I'll punish you for your insolence!"he warned. "With your pitiful Bite, maybe I would have to wait." Slowpoke taunted. Slowpoke hated to bully Growlithe like this, but he thought that he needed to borrow some time for Slowking to rescue him. "After we get rescued, all animosity would be gone."he consoled himself.

"You think you are so clever huh? We shall see who survives!"Growlithe exploded as he slammed his paw on the table, sending his plate flying. Without eating his breakfast, he stomped off, cursing under his breath before releasing his pent up fury with a deafening howl.

"Just a while more. Hang in there Pokemon." Slowpoke thought. He was sanguine about about the prospect of Slowking rescuing him. Furthermore, Treecko had already promised not to kill anyone else. So unless Mewtwo decides to kill them, no one is going to die.

Surprisingly, things weren't as simple as they seem. Even Mewtwo didn't understand the rationale for them happening. No one could fault him, as he could never understand the concept of logic being overruled by emotions.

**Author's note: Thanks for reading so far. I'm really sorry I took so long to update this. I'm busy with schoolwork. Please give reviews to help me improve :)**

**Grammar Nazi, you pointed out that Mareep could be the murderer. Well, to address that point, I would just like to say**

**It was never revealed in the story (only til the last part, to explain why Croagunk didn't have a Poison move) that Croagunk had Mud Slap, especially during his death while fighting Treecko, so I guess you shouldn't be working backwards. But yeah, that was slightly bad play on my part.**

**Croagunk and Natu died due to stab wounds. Mareep has no claws. And wouldn't it make sense for Mareep to zap Natu with electricity instead of trying to slash her?**

**I like the idea of the "struck by lightning so strong that she got set on fire" but I'm pretty sure that Mareep can't climb trees. Also, remember that Growlithe was commenting about the way that Caterpie actually died.**

**"Axew and Kecleon's murders could just be an accident". Err... Remember in chapter two Mewtwo was saying that the bucket could never be toppled by accident, someone had to push it.**

**'Mareep could have burnt some leaves and then fully set it on fire then threw it at Treecko undetected." What? How does a sheep throw things? I can't imagine Mareep using her limbs to throw the burning leaves on Treecko. Furthermore, if Treecko was innocent and was telling the truth, there was no way she could be "hit by a fiery blast" as she claimed. ( sometimes you need to understand that this is Pokemon :) )**

**Nevertheless, I love the way you guessed who the murderer was. It was indeed an eye opener.**

**And Magnemite, I was tickled by your comment :D**


	3. Slow and Steady Wins

Chapter 3 (Slow and Steady Wins)  
**Sorry for the extremely long wait. **

**Also, there could be some conflicting events here. That's because I updated chapter one. Just check Chapter 1 if there are any discrepancies. (ignore this if nothing is wrong)**

**Back to the story.**

(Narrator)

The warm rays of the evening sun bathed the ground with a soft orange glow. The azure blue sky gradually turned into a beautiful shade of crimson. However, the usual tranquility that surrounded the Hill of the Ancients was on temporary leave.

The Hill of the Ancients was a gargantuan mountain, located to the north of the bustling Lilycove City. The serene environment there was a wonderful escape from the usual maelstrom of activity in the busy city. However, despite its big size, scaling this mountain was hardly a challenge, as kind Machamps and Hariyamas had helped out in the construction of a staircase leading to the summit of this hill. It was a common sight to see many Pokemon sitting at the plateau of the gigantic mountain, gazing at the scenic sunset.

However, in recent months, Xatu claimed that she needed the quietness of the mountain to perform her psychic act of reading the future. No one could blame her. After all, she did help to anticipate natural disasters. A year ago, due to her accurate prediction, Pacifidlog Town managed to survive a horrendous tsunami because it had already evacuated its citizens to other nearby towns. The only ones to blame for Xatu's "selfishness" were the rowdy offspring of other Pokemon. Their constant gasps and squeals had always interfered in Xatu's predictions.

Xatu was repeating the same action that she had done a decade ago, staring straight into the glowing fireball. Her mystical eyes were never affected by the dazzling rays of the glaring sun. Instead, the eyeballs were piercing the sun's soul, siphoning whatever information she could gather.

She took a few steps backwards, and stepped on a sharp rock. "Ouch. I didn't expect that," she gasped in false surprise. That was a lie. In fact, she already knew that she would step on that today. But Xatu had always wanted to act like a normal Pokemon. But her quirky mindsets were never a problem in her predictions.

Xatu kicked the rock down the mountain, already knowing that the rock wouldn't land on anyone's head. "I can't afford to have these rocks hurting my guests today," she mused to herself. Xatu was expecting a few Pokemon to arrive, namely Slowking and his partners. As she kicked the rock, her sorrowful memories returned to haunt her. She recalled Natu's tragic death in the Fantasy Games, causing a tear to slide down her lime green face. "Why did I let her join?" Xatu sighed, before forcing her tears to stop. "I can't help these Pokemon if I don't control myself," she reasoned, madly swiping the traces of tears from her cheeks. "They are my only hope," she uttered softly.

After fifteen minutes, Charizard arrived, carrying Slowking and Vileplume on his back. As the trio stepped closer to Xatu, Xatu spoke: "I know why you are here. And I do know where the Fantasy is."

"It is towards the east of Mossdeep City. As you move from Mossdeep City, you would notice a dense forest with huge, thick trees blocking the path." Xatu directed, waving her hands to emphasize her point.

"Wait a minute, east of Mossdeep? Do you mean west? Because I seem to remember that if you were to move east any further, all you would see is the vast sea." Vileplume asked, with a puzzled look.

"Mewtwo's hideout is well hidden. You would have to fly for about twenty minutes from Mossdeep before you can even catch a glimpse of the forest. Most Pokemon would have already given up." Xatu explained.

"Okay, so what are we waiting for? Let's go! I can't wait to roast that Psychic maniac." Charizard bellowed.

"I really don't recommend you to head there yourselves. Mewtwo has not tasted Charizard meat before." Xatu replied.

"What do you mean? I could easily beat that purple fiend. All I need is…"

"One Psystrike and you would be toast." Xatu interrupted. "Please don't overrate yourselves. Listen to me. Towards the east of the Victory Road in Ever Grande City lies the "Zoroark Business Centre." Go there and ask them to aid you in your quest to rescue the innocent Pokemon," she continued

"What's that? It sounds fishy." Slowking asked curiously.

"Not many Pokemon have heard of it. Zoroark Business Centre is an organization, headed by an Absol, which provides a wide range of services to its customers. Most of the time, the mafia would be its regular customers, as they need the Zoroarks to do the dirty work for them. Basically they specialize in performing illegal deeds. Nevertheless, they claim that their goal is to provide "all services for all people", therefore I believe that they should be also be able to carry out honorable acts too. It shouldn't be too much of a problem for them to destroy Mewtwo, due to their advantageous dark typing."

"Thanks for your help Xatu. We should hurry now. Could you help to carry one of us there? I think Charizard is getting tired." Slowking suggested.

"No problem. Bear in mind that I'm not going anywhere near the Zoroarks. I would just drop you Pokemon there and leave. Don't even try to convince me to join you in your fight against Mewtwo. Still, good luck to you, you would really need it." Xatu affirmed.

Charizard, still wincing from the embarrassment earlier on, declared: "I don't need luck." The Flame Pokemon lifted Slowking on his back before starting his flight. Xatu swiftly followed suit, piggybacking the Rafflesia Pokemon.

.

.

The desolate surroundings of the Zoroarks' lair were a sharp contrast to the calm environment of the Hill of the Ancients. The impenetrable shade that the spooky trees provided warded off any glimmer of sunlight. Xatu and Charizard had just landed at the entrance of the sinister syndicate.

Inside the cave stood a Zoroark. His red mane was unmoving, due to the absence of any sign of wind. A grimace slowly appeared on his grayish face as he stared at his unknown visitors.

"My name is Z. What do you want?" the Illusion fox Pokemon asked.

"Err… my son Slowpoke was abducted and is stuck in this place called…"

"I don't need any background information. Just answer my questions. What do you want me to do?" the Zoroark barked.

"Okay, so… there is this… never mind. I would like you to rescue my son Slowpoke," Slowking replied, remembering that no background information should be given.

"Where is he trapped in? Why can't you rescue him yourself?" Z probed. The fox looked interested. However, he wasn't curious about Slowpoke's plight. He was interested in the monetary prospects.

"He is trapped in this place called the Fantasy. It is a castle situated near…"

"Next question,"

"Slowpoke is guarded by a powerful Pokemon named Mewtwo," Slowking continued, who was obviously annoyed at being cut off. Unfortunately, when time is of the essence, the importance of customer service definitely took a back seat.

"In that case, wouldn't it be easier if I were to kill Mewtwerp or whatever his name is?" Z smirked.

"If you deem it more convenient, go ahead. I have no qualms about Mewtwo dead." Charizard grinned. 

"Consider that done," the fox replied hastily. Z took out a piece of paper, and scribbled some words on it. "Kill Mew too: Done," Z sneered arrogantly as he put a tick next to the bracket, showing that the job was complete.

"Now, we go into our most important aspect of today's discussion. Payment," the Zoroark continued, scribbling a new set of words. "Payment: Incomplete."

"That would cost you half a million Poke dollars." Z muttered, void of emotions.

"What? We don't have that much money with us right now!" Vileplume squealed frantically. "How about we pay you later?" she suggested.

"No. Our policy is simple: No pay, no action," Z replied with a dismissive action.

"But we have no time to go back home and return with the money! Slowpoke could simply die any moment!" Slowking protested. "I promise to give you the money after Slowpoke is saved."

"I really don't mean to hurt your feelings, but I honestly do not care about you or your son. The only object that motivates me is the jingling of coins and the solid feel of cold hard cash." Z replied evenly. "The amount that we charge is fixed, whether it is robbing a bank or facilitating drug trades, or even spying on individuals. I don't treat any of my customers any differently," he continued.

Charizard seethed in fury. "How dare you be apathetic to the troubles of other innocent Pokemon? You uncaring mercenary!" the Flame Pokemon roared as he unleashed a Fire Blast at Z. Seeing the attack, Z retaliated with a Flamethrower. The scorching blast was interrupted with a smaller blaze, dispelling the attack.

"Threat detected. Proceeding to eradicate threat," the Zoroark declared in a robotic voice. Z took out the crumpled piece of paper, scribbled "Eradicate Threat", and put a bold tick next to the statement.

Z gave a piercing whistle, and a few other Zoroarks scurried beside him. "Kill Charizard." Z uttered softly. Without warning the other foxes formed a strange formation next to Charizard, surrounding him. "Attack!" Z screeched. The foxes gave a sharp cry, before leaping into the air, releasing an ominous ring of darkness from their bodies. Luckily, Charizard had anticipated the impending attack, and had already started his upward descent, narrowly avoiding the spheres of dark energy. There was a colossal BOOM as the Night Dazes rammed into the nearby trees.

Slowking was watching the formation of the Zoroark assault. What was strange was that although the Zoroarks were surrounding Charizard when they used their Night Daze attack, none of them were injured by other Night Dazes. He remembered that Zoroarks usually look downwards as they summon the dark cloud, usually because of the need of greater concentration when unleashing the monstrous attack. This meant that they wouldn't be able to immediately tell if they had hit their target, or even if something was heading towards them. But, the ring of dark energy had somewhat merged together to form a huge hemisphere, causing grounded targets to have no chance of escape, making it puzzling for the Zoroarks to be unscathed, especially since they were so close to the powerful Night Dazes.

Charizard landed on the ground and called for the foxes to stop, but with another shrill scream the Zoroarks released another wave of Night Dazes. Again, no one was hurt. But this time, Slowking suddenly realised the secret strategy of the Zoroarks.

He realised that although all the Zoroarks jumped at the same time, they were jumping at different heights. This meant that each Zoroark was shooting his attacks at different altitudes, hence creating the immense radius of the Night Daze. Furthermore, with the Zoroarks at different heights, even if one Night Daze missed its target, it wouldn't be hitting an ally. This was something that needed a lot of discipline and hard work, which the Zoroarks apparently had. They never knew whether their target was dead, but they knew that their allies were alive.

Nevertheless, Slowking had a brainwave to put a stop to this formation.

"Zoroarks! Instead of attacking Charizard like a bully, try to kill me instead. I bet you won't stand a chance." Slowking taunted. Z raised his eyebrows.

"Have you gone nuts trying to save Slowpoke?" Z asked.

"No, try me." Slowking retorted defiantly. Within seconds the Zoroarks had regrouped and surrounded Slowking, ready to send this stupid bear to the grave.

(Slowking's POV)

"Slowking, don't be rash here! We do not need the help of selfish idiots!" Vileplume pleaded. "If they don't want to help, we can go to the Fantasy ourselves! Don't waste your live like this!" she shrieked.

"Calm down Vileplume. I know what I'm doing. Those foxes don't stand a chance." I replied, overflowing with confidence.

I closed my eyes momentarily, and created the Trick Room. I saw a narrow gap between one of the Zoroarks and seized my chance, whizzing past them just before the black hemisphere reappeared. BOOM!

I whizzed back into my original position, and gave the Zoroarks a snide grin.

"Is that all you've got? It didn't even tickle me. So weak. I expected more from the Pokemon I had wanted to hire." I shook my head in mock disappointment, before blitzing away at the angry cries of Z, indicating another round of Night Dazes. I returned with the same mocking smile, giving them words of false encouragement. "Ouch. This hurt a little. When will it be my turn?" I jeered.

Fortunately, the dark surroundings made it almost impossible for the Zoroarks to detect the faint violet background. They really believed that I had absorbed the full damage of the Night Daze. Looks of shock were evident on their faces.

Z changed his tactics. "It seems like one Night Daze isn't enough. Look, Slowking is so slow that he can't evade our attacks. We might as well just direct our attacks straight at him. It is impossible for him to jump. All we have to do is to make sure our attacks are all in one direction. Let's see how you can absorb the full force of our power!" he snarled.

"I can't wait." I giggled. This is exactly what I was hoping for. The moment the Zoroarks stop wasting their attacks in other heights and focus all their energy on the same level, they would finally have a chance to commit friendly fire.

"FIRE AT WILL!" Z bellowed. This time, no one moved an inch as they fired wave after wave of Night Dazes in my supposed direction. Once again, I slipped through the gap and watched from afar as they fired their pulses repeatedly. The Night Dazes clashed repeatedly, with one pulse occasionally overpowering the other, sending a Zoroark groaning in pain. Nevertheless, with the din created, no one could hear the cries of pain as the Zoroarks dutifully obeyed their leader's orders, shooting Night Dazes without restraint.

One problem that the Zoroarks face was the differing intervals of the Night Dazes. The stronger ones could fire a few more Night Dazes in any given time as compared to the weaker ones. While this problem didn't exist under the old formation (because the pulse wouldn't hit one another), firing at will created the scenario of a Zoroark experiencing a few pulses being shot at him even before he could defend himself with his own Night Daze. But the Zoroarks were unaware of the problem. They all believed that I was being pummeled by the repeated attacks. No one realised that the number of Night Dazes summoned were diminishing by the second, and no one realised that I was still unharmed.

After a few more minutes, all the Zoroarks had collapsed onto the ground. Z was gasping for air.

"You Zoroarks are really weaker than I thought. Maybe I should just get rid of you." I threatened.

"Please… spare my life… you don't have to pay for Mewtwo's killing." Z begged in desperation.

Before I could reply, a mammalian Pokemon with white fur and a gray face jumped beside Z. Its curved horn on its head glowed with a sparkling light.

"Hmm… you got outplayed by a Slowking. I'm really disappointed. Well done Slowking. Sometimes I fail to keep them in check. I would help you defeat Mewtwo. Oh, my name is Absol," the feline Pokemon smiled warmly. "Z, you and Zay are coming with me in this mission," Absol continued.

"I'm the head of Zoroark Business Centre, so you don't have to worry. We always complete our tasks. I only need to know where the Fantasy is, and I think you have the answer. But I still think you need to pay us a sum of money as this quest is unusually difficult. However, you can always pay me after you have returned home. We would decide on the price later. Don't you worry, I promise you would be able to afford it. Where do you stay? I would come and visit you." Absol said with a serious expression.

"We would only pay you after you have completed your task." I mentioned cautiously.

With a sly grin, Absol snickered: "Consider it done."

**I am so sorry for the long wait, and im afraid you have to wait even longer for the next chapter. I will try to update it as soon as I can, but I cannot specify a time period. Thanks for your continuous support! Also, leave some reviews for me to improve my work.**


	4. Law of the Jungle

Chapter 4 ( Law of the Jungle)

(Growlithe's POV)

It was just a while after noon, but I was ravenous. It's all the Pokemons' fault. One of them must have broken Mewtwo's rules, leaving me with an inedible meal. I turned around and stared at the dining room, wondering if I should return to satiate my hunger. The plate of mouldy bread beckoned me towards it, but my pride was pulling me away. However, as I debated with myself, my plate vanished before my eyes. I sighed. Mewtwo doesn't even want to give me a choice anymore.

Nevertheless, I returned to the dining room. It wasn't because of the hope that food would magically arrive in front of me, but it was simply because I wanted a comfortable place to sit. I felt a tear drop forming in my weary eyes, but I ceased its existence with a sharp blink. What I needed to survive was not emotions, but cold hard logic.

However much I hated the idea, I was actually convinced that Slowpoke was innocent. The only reason was due to the unmistakable fact that Slowpoke was battling me at the time of Caterpie's death. I rejected the notion that Slowpoke could have used his Psychic powers to trick us all, creating the illusion of the various murders while killing us slowly. "Here's a hint. Slowpoke doesn't have the power to manipulate your thoughts. So you are correct in that thought," said Mewtwo. I whirled my head around in fright. "I'm using telepathy," Mewtwo responded.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "I feel a tiny bit of pity for you. Your meal was ruined by that rule breaker. Nevertheless, I'm not telling you who the rule breaker is, neither am I going to confirm Slowpoke's innocence. I'm only affirming your belief that Slowpoke has no ability to control your vision, but I assure you, there's nothing else you can infer from my statement."

I guess I have to do the detective work on my own.

But, is there even value in solving the mystery? The clues simply don't add up. Treecko seems the most likely suspect due to Axew's claim just before she died, but Treecko was attacked. Slowpoke could verify that. Mienfoo could be the one, but he definitely couldn't outrun Froakie on the night of Natu's death. Froakie could be putting on an act, but how could he manage to kill Caterpie right under Mienfoo's nose?

A brainwave struck me. A really good one, even if I may sound arrogant in saying this. There's no need to solve the mystery. The mystery would solve itself.

What I mean is: Who else can the murderer kill now?

Let's assume that Treecko is the murderer. There is simply no way she could win. You see, the only Pokemon that she could kill with ease are the Water types, and perhaps Mareep. This leaves only Mienfoo and me, and we can easily tell who the murderer is by her choice of kills. It doesn't matter how she killed Croagunk and Caterpie, but the sheer fact remains that her game is over.

I'm assuming that Mienfoo is the strongest Pokemon here, and I'm pretty sure he is.

If Froakie is the murderer, he has few alternatives. The best result for him would be the killing of me, Slowpoke and Mareep, which already seem difficult. After killing me, there's no easy option. Slowpoke is actually strong, and Mareep has a type advantage. There's no one left for him to kill and again we can deduce the identity of the murderer because of the path he chooses.

The only worrying possibility is Mienfoo. Assuming he is the most powerful, he can easily defeat those surviving Pokemon. Although he would struggle against Slowpoke, but he does not need Slowpoke dead. He could simply leave Slowpoke as the last one standing, and Mewtwo would declare him the winner. Slowpoke would then die (because of Mewtwo's rules). I might need to stay close to Slowpoke to prevent being killed by Mienfoo, but Slowpoke might accuse me of being the culprit. Hopefully he remembers that during Caterpie's death, I was not anywhere near the crime scene.

Argh, I'm starving. Did I miss out anything? I'm ignoring Slowpoke for now, because I trust that Treecko and Mareep can stop him if he was the murderer. He doesn't have too many options too, just like Froakie.

Just then, I saw a roasted chicken drumstick walking past me. I blinked. The drumstick continued walking. I rubbed my eyes. Oh, it was Mareep.

I felt a trickle of water drop on my paw. Huh? I turned my head upwards, and felt the same trickle of water roll down my neck. I continued my gaze at the juicy lamb, drooling at the idea of devouring the fresh meat that seemed to beckon me, inviting me to tear that lamb into shreds of succulent meat.

I shook my head, brushing away that greedy thought. I urged myself to concentrate. Ah! I missed out my analysis of Mareep! I closed my eyes, doing my utmost to ignore that piece of savoury... damn it.

Okay, who can Mareep kill? Her options are quite diverse, considering that only Treecko has a decent chance of stopping her. But then she has the pesky Thunder Wave in her arsenal, paralysing her enemies before slowly killing them with Thundershocks. It doesn't matter how weak she is. All she needs is to land that... lamb chop... gosh... Thunder Wave and kaboom! Her adversaries die.

Come to think of it, she is actually the only threat to Mienfoo. She's the only one that can stop his rampage by her Thunder Wave. But is it worth it to keep her alive? If she is the murderer, we are doomed. I have only one chance to... have a decent meal... I MEAN ELIMINATE HER! If I attack her now, the Pokemon could survive... The odds are fair enough. A 1/6 chance looks pretty high to me... and I can get my lunch... I mean go back to my hometown. I'm really starving right now, I need my meal. I need to eat...no I need to think rationally...I NEED MY MAREEP! After all, she must be the murderer. Among Mienfoo and her, she is the only one who can kill Croagunk and Natu. Mienfoo is too weak. No Mareep, don't run away. Come to me! Die! Roar!

(Narrator)

As Growlithe succumbed to his burning hunger, Mareep cast a strange look at him. She could not fathom out the reason behind his lunacy. She looked on with genuine interest as the orange canine squirmed in his chair. As Growlithe staggered towards her, she raised her eyebrows. She heard a howl. What was Growlithe trying to say? Mareep looked away, thinking that Growlithe would get over his temporary madness. "He wasn't to blame," she thought. "I'm surprised he could even retain sanity for such a long duration."

(Mareep's POV)

I trotted away, hoping that Growlithe would be okay.

Seeing his sudden hysteria, my suspicions of him faded. I had always thought that he was the murderer. Growlithe was always being a nuisance, always hampering efforts to catch the murderer, always unwilling to help. But I believed that the insanity would only linger in innocents. The innocent ones never know who to trust, and when they were going to die. They were trapped in a room of secrecy and deceit, with the prospect of an imminent doom. However, the murderer wouldn't get to experience this phenomenon. Sure, he never knew when he would be accused. But if he or she is careful, the fear of a random death could never scare the murderer.

And then I felt a fang bury itself in my flesh.

I bleated in pain. Blood in different spectrums of red burst out of my back. The excruciating pain was growing by the second. I turned around, and was stupefied at the irony of the situation. So it was Growlithe after all!

Despite my pain, I forced myself to retaliate. I needed to stop this evil menace once and for all. I don't mind sacrificing myself. I never expected to live anyway. With the dissipated fear of death, I blasted the canine with a Thundershock, wounding him. "I knew it was you Growlithe!" I hollered as I hurled a Thunder Wave at him. The slender lightning bolt streaked towards Growlithe, but he managed to evade it. In my giddy state I still unleashed another Thunder Wave, but I missed by a mile. Growlithe turned into a shade of crimson as he rammed into me with a Flare Blitz, causing red hot burns on my blue cheeks. I crumbled to the floor. With a yelp I attempted to pick myself up, only to be interrupted by a Bite attack. "Let me just say this, I'm actually innocent." Growlithe whispered as he sank his teeth into my head. "What? Why?" I rasped. But I never got my answer. As the razor sharp teeth crushed my temple, I took my last breath, hoping that the Pokemon would hear the commotion, and also wondering why my Static didn't activate.

(Narrator)

The other Pokemon were hiding in their rooms, for the fear of getting killed. Froakie was hiding under his bed, shutting his eyes and covering his ears. Slowpoke and Treecko were in the same room chatting about virtually anything under the sun. Slowpoke did his best to drag the conversation, even to the extent of pretending to revert to his five second reaction time, because he wanted to buy time. He was confident that Slowking would rescue them. He did hear some noises but he ignored it, believing that as long as Treecko was here, no killings could occur. "I'm going to the park to exercise. Wanna join me?" Treecko asked.

"No, but promise me you won't do anything rash," Slowpoke replied.

"I promise," Treecko smiled as she skipped off.

.

.

.

Growlithe ripped Mareep's corpse apart, and began his feast on his delicious bounty. He felt a pang of guilt. But he consoled himself into the naive possibility that Mareep could be the murderer. However, his fantasy was destroyed by Mewtwo's whisper.

"Wrong. However, being the nice guy that I am today, I won't announce Mareep's death yet. I would only inform the rest after you have finished your meal," Mewtwo chuckled. With his mouth being stuffed with lamb meat, Growlithe didn't bother to reply.

About ten minutes later, once Mareep's body was gone from the physical world, Mewtwo's announcement rang out loud and clear. "Mareep has been killed! And the murderer is still alive!"

Slowpoke's jaw dropped.

**Author's note : I am so sorry about the extremely long wait, and I do not know when I can update again! Please bear with me. I'm really busy with school.**

**Please leave reviews! It gives me motivation.**

**Also, could you guys tell that Growlithe was being crazy at some point in time? I wanted to illustrate the hunger taking over his sanity. This is a first attempt at such things :) Do comment on that part, I believe I can work on that.**

**PS: Princess Roseria please update your Nightmare Guild fanfic.**


	5. Hope Rises and Falls

Chapter 5 ( Hope Rises... and Falls)

**Author's note: Sorry for the long wait.**

(Slowking's POV)

We headed north towards the phantom east of Mossdeep City. As we plodded on, Z was still grumbling about his earlier embarrassment. We crossed a dense forest... and arrived at a even denser one.

The spooky trees witnessed earlier on looked like sock puppets when compared to the eerie woodlands in front of us. The gargantuan trees loomed over us, eager to crush our jittery souls. Vileplume looked downwards nervously. "Are...we... there yet?" she whispered, her teeth chattering in fright. "Chill, my little flower, we can't afford to be afraid. Just a bit more" Charizard replied, patting the rafflesia on the head. "How ironic, a Fire type telling others to chill." I mumbled. Charizard flapped his wings in indignance but was pricked by the protruding branches.

"Gah, why are these trees so big, I can't even fly in here." complained Charizard

"Actually, we are quite close to the Fantasy. We should be there in about two hours." Absol interrupted, cutting off their squabble.

"What? Aren't there any guards or lookouts? This place looks deserted." Vileplume remarked.

"It is unlikely that such an arrogant Pokemon would have sentries guarding his hideout. He could easily demolish his attackers. But I do remember that there is something to watch out for." Absol explained. "Zay, scout the vicinity in front of us." he ordered. Zay simply nodded his head, and scurried forth.

"What is the threat that you are talking about?" I asked.

"Hmm... I don't quite recall what it is, but it probably could cause us our lives." Absol muttered. The horn on his head gleamed with a dazzling white, indicating an imminent danger.

"Duck!" Zay suddenly cried out. "What? A Golduck?" said Charizard before Z dragged him down. As Charizard's head hit the clayey soil, a brilliant blue beam rushed above his tail, almost colliding with his tail.

"Now I remember, the Psystrike." Absol said nonchalantly. "Mewtwo programmed a device that would shoot a circular pulse of his Psystrike at random intervals. If you are unlucky, you would be killed on the spot. If you do survive, you would still be blown away by the impact of the blast and find yourself somewhere in Pallet Town," he mused.

"Wow, thanks for saving me," gasped Charizard in relief. Z merely nodded his acknowledgement.

"I need you to be alive to collect my money." the Zoroark replied.

"Duck!" Z called.

A sense of hysteria gripped me, Charizard and Vileplume as we buried our body in the mud, narrowly avoiding the sapphire pulse.

"Wow, this is really scary! We don't even know when the Psystrike is coming!" Vileplume squealed.

"Fortunately, the intense velocity of the Psystrike causes the nearby leaves to rustle, making it easy to detect its approach." reassured Absol. I smiled at Zay with gratitude. He returned a frown. I mouthed the word "Money" and his face was immediately brightened. I sighed.

"Okay, we just need to keep evading those annoying pulses and we would arrive at the Fantasy soon." Absol declared. "Zay, don't you dare slip up."

**Back at the Fantasy...**

(Froakie's POV)

"Mareep has been killed! And the murderer is still alive!" Mewtwo's irritating voice buzzed through the speakers in my room. I hurried outside, intending to catch any clues that the murderer could have missed out during his escape. Along the way, I bumped into Mienfoo and Slowpoke as they were leaving their rooms. We strode towards the... wait a second, where was the corpse?

We gathered at the entrance of the corridor (where you turn left to go to the park and turn right for the dining room) but we had no idea where Mareep's body was. I glanced around but was greeted with blank stares.

"So... where is the corpse?" I asked, trying to lessen the suspicion that might be directed at me.

"How would I know?" Growlithe answered. A cacophony of cackles erupted through the speakers. "Whats so funny?" roared Growlithe.

"I don't know too! I love to laugh. Laughter is the best medicine." Mewtwo exclaimed, still in his fit of giggles.

"Ignore that madman." Growlithe growled.

"Growlithe, where were you upon Mareep's death?" Mienfoo questioned.

"I was lazing about in the dining room." Growlithe replied.

"Hmm... so instead of hiding in your room from the threat of murder, you seem to be embracing it." Slowpoke remarked sarcastically. "How very brave of you."

"Why can't I sit in the dining room instead? There's no reason for me to hide in my room all day. It's stuffy in there." Growlithe protested. "Stop targeting me if you have no evidence of my supposed crimes! What's wrong with you Slowpoke? I'm innocent!"

"Well, there's no proof of your innocence either." Slowpoke replied matter-of-factly

"Okay, then where were you Treecko?" Mienfoo continued, not wishing to agitate the canine further.

"I was exercising in the park. I really need to stretch my legs. I'm feeling cramped in this tiny place," replied Treecko smoothly. The beads of sweat was evident on her face, being reddened from the sun.

"Probably sweating from killing Mareep," Mienfoo commented. No one bothered to reply.

"If there's nothing else, I'll get going. I don't want stupid Pokemon accusing me of being the murderer. There's no clues here anyway." Growlithe harrumphed, walking away slowly. Other Pokemon followed suit. Even Slowpoke groaned in exasperation. There was no way he could gather any clues from the murder simply because there was no corpse. Even in this "legitimate" murder, no information could be gathered.

But Slowpoke was wrong. In fact, I actually have a very clear idea who the murderer could be. A glaring flaw in Slowpoke's investigation methods was that he only gathers clues from the dead body. However, he failed to consider that when Mareep died, there were only two Pokemon who could be anywhere near the crime scene. Treecko, who was in the park, and Growlithe, who was in the dining room. Mareep was definitely killed outside her room. With tensions and mistrust levels soaring by the minute, no sane individual would allow anyone else into his or her room, and neither would he enter other's rooms. Moreover, upon leaving my room, I remembered seeing Slowpoke and Mienfoo. Therefore, the only two possible murderers are Growlithe or Treecko.

Having narrowed the list, I started thinking about the possibility of each of them being the murderer. One burning issue that needed to be tackled was that the murderer had always managed to outrun me in the first two murderers. However hard I try, the murderer would slip away, evading my pursuit. A flashback flashed in my mind. I recalled the game of tag that I was playing with Chimchar and Treecko during the first day at the Fantasy. After Chimchar tagged me, I never got out of my position as IT. I recalled myself falling from the trees as Treecko dodged my outstretched arms. I recalled the Zoroark disguise sprinting away at lightning speed, giving me no chance to catch it. It must be Treecko!

As I thought of the Zoroark disguise, the nightmare returned. The horror of the wrongful killing of Drilbur. Would I make the same mistake? I halted my train of thoughts. I had to consider Growlithe too. Growlithe could also be the murderer. I never ever got the chance to witness his running speed. Maybe he was even faster.

Still, all the evidence seems to be pointing towards Treecko. The strongest piece of evidence was Axew's accusation against her. Considering that Axew wasn't the murderer, her accusation cannot be dismissed as mere lies. Sure, Treecko was at the dining table. But all of us were also there. Even if Treecko claims she was far away from the bucket, it does little to prove her innocence.

With all the mounting evidence against Treecko, the only mystery left was the riddle of the speed that Growlithe could reach. I need to find a way to make him run at his maximum speed. Only then would I be able to determine his innocence. I pranced around my room, scratching my head for ideas. Maybe I could try...

(Narrator)

Growlithe was now at the park. Strangely, he had found some health potions in a cabinet in the dining room, and he brought it along for his training. Bam! A tree trunk snapped at the impact of Growlithe's Flare Blitz. Sizzle... a bush was burnt into cinders by another full force attack. "This is really exhausting. I hope the murderer doesn't attack me now." Growlithe panted.

"Why are you training so much now? Can it even make a difference? I really can't understand." mocked Mewtwo.

"I want Slowpoke dead." Growlithe replied while gulping down his Potion. "Why?"

Growlithe felt a lump in his mouth. In the course of trying to take revenge against Slowpoke, he had forgotten who the real enemy was. Not that it mattered anyway, Mewtwo was unstoppable. All Growlithe wanted now was to settle his long time feud with Slowpoke. The bear might be innocent, but Growlithe anticipated that his own death wouldn't be too far away. "Serves him right for antagonising me incessantly. If he had done a better job of investigations we would already be at home." Growlithe thought. He flinched. The word "home" smashed a raw nerve. He could picture his cosy home, right inside the lovely warm town of Lavaridge, with the refreshing hot springs that he and Vulpix used to visit. Images of Vulpix and him sharing a rich cup of hot chocolate kept resurfacing in his mind.

"I just want to punish him for his senseless accusations against me." Growlithe muttered sadly.

"Well, here's a piece of good news for you. If you do not survive the Fantasy Games, it's fine. You can join your dad Arcanine in the afterlife! Sorry to tell you now, but he died while trying to save you. Apparently, he failed terribly."

"Shut up! Go away! Get away from me!" Growlithe let out a thunderous roar.

"Hey, you don't need to train any further. To atone for my crimes, I promise you, if you do happen to have a fight with Slowpoke, I would elevate your powers to be of similar standards to Slowpoke. In this way, you get a fair fight." Mewtwo smirked.

"GO AWAY!" Growlithe swung his paws in random directions, before collapsing onto the ground in sheer exhaustion. Misery was printed on his vermillion face, but no tears were released. Growlithe was too tired to cry, and was reduced to soft whimpers.

A few minutes later, Froakie entered the park, carrying a determined look. He glanced at Growlithe. "Follow me." he beckoned.

Growlithe raised his eyebrows. But seeing Froakie's stern expression, he obediently followed. They moved further away from the park's Froakie simply said: "Move on." as he walked further and further away. Confusion descended on Growlithe but he decided that it was best for him not to go against a Water typed Pokemon. It didn't occur to him then, that if he were to be attacked, safety would be a mile away.

He soon regretted his decision.

Once Froakie decided that they were a good distance from the interior of the castle, he grabbed Growlithe by the neck, before hissing: "Just for your information, there are two murderers here. Now you listen up. I'm itching to turn my hands into Water Shurikens, which would slice your throat into half. But you are going to help me. You are going to help me, the murderer, prove my innocence. You are going to sprint towards the Fantasy as fast as you can. I repeat, as fast as you possibly can. In fact, run like your pathetic life depends on it. If I do catch you before you reach the Fantasy, I would just use my Bubblebeam, and we all know what happened to Drilbur right?"

"What are you trying to do?" Growlithe spluttered.

"Shut up and do as I say you piece of dog poo. One, two and GO!" Froakie screamed.

Growlithe's earlier fatigue suddenly vanished. A surge of energy flowed through his body as he made a frantic dash for the Fantasy. All signs of exhaustion were undetectable as he bounded towards the castle as fast as his limbs could carry him, easily putting a Raikou to shame. Growlithe huffed and puffed as he charged forth, only driven by the incentive of survival. Even Growlithe marvelled at his own newfound speed, for it was something he had never experienced before.

But Froakie was not at all impressed. He rolled his eyes and began his chase. Without exerting himself, he easily caught up with Growlithe, clutching him by his tail.

"WHAT? Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Don't kill me... I tried my best..." Growlithe stammered in his shell shocked state. Froakie just smiled and patted the puppy on his head.

"Thank you so much. You helped me a great deal. I'm really sorry for scaring you earlier. I'm telling you now, I'm not the murderer. I just wanted to verify something." Froakie said gently, stroking Growlithe's body to comfort him.

"What? I don't get it..." Growlithe enquired, but Froakie had already moved off.

"What just happened?" yawned Growlithe. Seeing that he had used up all his energy reserves, he made his way to his room, and took a good long nap.

(Froakie's POV)

It's confirmed : The murderer is Treecko.

Growlithe was too slow to be the murderer. He wasn't really slow, but compared to Treecko, he was just like a Shuckle having a race with a Ninjask. It is impossible for him to get away from my pursuit of him during the first few nights. Furthermore, when I told him that there were two murderers, it was to see his reaction. If he was the murderer, he would have suggested that we team up to finish the others. But he didn't. He ran away and even begged me to spare his life!

But how did Treecko manage to kill Croagunk and Natu? I mulled over my lie. Moreover, I remember Slowpoke saying that Treecko was attacked. Could there really be two murderers? I brushed the thought away. Mewtwo only said that there was one murderer anyway.

I slapped myself on my forehead. Why am I still trying to find out how Treecko could have carried out those murders? There aren't any clues I could use! Furthermore, just by using Pokemon types as an alibi doesn't sound logical anymore. Some Pokemon could be stronger than the others. Treecko was probably too fast for the victims. Maybe when Treecko wanted to use the matchsticks, she accidentally burnt herself so she used Slowpoke to conjure an image of her innocence. "Drilbur, I'm gonna make amends for my mistake. Axew, you were right. I would make sure that you won't die in vain. You might be a pain in the neck, but you were actually right!" I muttered to myself.

Feeling sure that I've covered all loopholes in my logic, I strode out of my room, eager to spill the beans to the nearest innocent. I walked with a spring in my steps, knowing that I could finally get out of this nightmare...

(Narrator)

"I thought I just said not to kill anyone?" Slowpoke snapped.

"I didn't!" Treecko squealed. "I really didn't do anything to Mareep! I didn't even know she died til Mewtwo told us!"

"Yeah, so Mareep probably hid herself in the closet and suffocated to death. Or maybe Growlithe ate her cause he was really starving. Interesting concept don't you think?" Slowpoke retorted.

"I really didn't touch her! Why can't you trust me? If I didn't believe in your idea of waiting for Slowking, wouldn't I just kill myself then? Why would I still want to hurt others?" Treecko shot back angrily.

"Really?" asked Slowpoke, albeit in a more measured tone. He didn't want anyone to overhear their conversation. Still, the air of suspicion was floating around him. Unfortunately, Treecko sensed it.

"If you don't believe me, then just kill me okay? You get to live." cried Treecko.

"I just want all of us to survive, and make sure that Mewtwo gets his just desserts. Killing you would just end the game, and Mewtwo would teleport the survivors back home. Next year, another group of Pokemon would suffer the same fate. So just do as I say. Don't get into trouble. Don't even get near anyone okay?" Slowpoke explained.

"I know all this already!" protested Treecko. "I swear to Arceus...Oh hi Froakie." she gasped, startled by the blue frog's sudden appearance.

(Froakie's POV)

"Slowpoke! Don't listen to Treecko's lies! She is the murderer!" I shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the wood gecko.

"What are you talking about?" Treecko feigned innocence. I could see her eyes momentarily darting away from me.

"Admit it, you are the murderer! Only you and Growlithe were out of your rooms during Mareep's death. This only means that one of you must have committed the murder!"

"Yeah, so why are you suspecting me?" Treecko replied calmly.

"Because during Croagunk's and Natu's death, only you could have the speed to evade me. I tested Growlithe and it turned out that there was no way that he could run at the same velocity as you. Furthermore, I pretended to be the murderer and I lied to him that there were two murderers, trying to get his "confession" so that we could team up. But he tried to run away! What was interesting was the fact that I could catch him with ease. But the murderer that escaped my clutches was twice as fast as Growlithe, otherwise I would have caught him easily Chimchar is dead. So the only suspect left is YOU." I rebutted.

"Even if what I said is untrue, how do you explain the fact that Caterpie was killed right under Mienfoo's nose? Only someone as agile as you could sneak up to Caterpie and kill him before Mienfoo could even spot you. Also, why does Axew say she saw you pour the bucket of sludge, even when she wasn't the murderer? Your Leer move didn't even look like it could have any effect. You probably have the move Double Team!" I declared.

"Calm down Froakie. Stop letting your imagination run wild." Treecko gave me a sad smile as though I was an idiot spouting nonsense. My blood boiled.

"STOP ACTING IGNORANT! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE PROOF TO CLAIM YOUR INNOCENCE!" I screamed at the top of my voice. I looked at Slowpoke in desperation, pleading with him to believe me. Slowpoke simply shrugged.

"But maybe Growlithe simply wasn't running at his full speed. Maybe he was the murderer and knew that you were trying to deceive him." Slowpoke pointed out.

"ARE YOU RETARDED? WHEN CATERPIE DIED, MIENFOO POINTED OUT THAT YOU WERE HAVING A BATTLE WITH GROWLITHE! How could he have committed the murder?" I hollered in frustration.

"I don't know the answer. But we cannot rule him out yet." Slowpoke replied thoughtfully. "We are not going to randomly lynch Pokemon." he declared.

"Oh my Arceus! YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!" I bellowed. I lunged at Treecko with a Bounce attack, but Slowpoke swung his tail and deflected my attack.

"I already said, we are not going to just randomly kill Pokemon. I'm not convinced by your argument. I don't want another innocent dead. If you still insist on your unreasonable offense, I would have to stop you." Slowpoke warned ominously.

"Fine! I'm giving up on you fools! Don't ever blame me if you die to this wood gecko. I'm warning you for the last time, Treecko is the murderer!" I shouted as I stormed off. I walked around aimlessly, feeling crushed by the stupidity I just witnessed. Growlithe was right. Slowpoke is a fool. I should never have listened to that stupid bear.

The problem is: Slowpoke is actually strong. I can't just attack Treecko. Even with Growlithe's help, Slowpoke and Treecko could easily overpower us. That's considering Growlithe even trusts me in the first place. After what I just did, maybe he would believe I'm the murderer.

I returned to my room and collapsed on my bed, weeping in sadness and anger. I simply couldn't understand why Slowpoke was so stupid.

You know what? Forget it. I won't pursue my case further. Let Treecko win. It's not her fault anyway. Mewtwo is undefeatable. Also, I actually have a crush on Treecko ever since the tag game we had. Her cheerful giggles and her gorgeous face with the beautiful amber eyes were more than enough to induce infatuation. Considering how stupid everyone is, I might as well let Treecko win. She's the smartest among all these fools here. At least she tried her best to survive.

Innocents, don't you dare blame me. I tried my best! I broke personal records with every sprint I made in a ferocious effort to nab the murderer. Although Drilbur's death was a mistake, but I could not be faulted. I fell into the trap of Treecko. I contributed to the discussions. I wasn't a hindrance to Slowpoke's leadership. I did my best for the Pokemon!

Why? Why are you so dumb Slowpoke? I always thought you were smarter. You were never rash, and only slipped up during Axew's death. But you were not to blame then. However, with all the evidence I presented, why do you still not trust me? Sigh... if I had told Growlithe this, Treecko would have died in a heartbeat. Why must you be so cautious? Why... I climbed on the window grilles, getting ready to jump to my death...

Apparently, I must have been wailing really loud, for the next moment I heard sharp knocks on my door. I opened it. I've nothing to fear anyway.

"Froakie! What happened to you? Why are you crying?" Treecko gasped. Her normally cheerful face displayed genuine concern. But I could no longer trust it.

"Drop the pretence! I know you are the murderer. You don't need to kill me. I'll make your job easier. Goodbye, and I wish you good luck." I sobbed as I dashed towards the window grilles.

"STOP! Come back! I'll explain everything!" Treecko begged. Tears were coursing down her emerald cheeks, making her pretty face turn slightly soggy.

"No need for that. I understand. I would have done the same too. You aren't to blame for this. Goodbye." I uttered as I let go of the window grilles... The last thing I remember was Treecko crying in agony as I fell. "Oh don't cry Treecko. It breaks my heart." I thought, before crashing against the cold hard ground...

**Author's note: Sorry for the long wait, and I apologise in advance for an expected longer wait for the next chapter. I'm busy with school exams and stuff.**

**Please review. I'm thinking that there are some problems in this chapter. I just didn't feel very well when I was typing this.**

**SPAMA (i prefer grammar nazi), just accept the fact that Treecko is the murderer alright? I understand your point but it's not going to change anything. (I'm not saying I don't like what you are saying, but I just dont feel like saying anything else related to that. :) ) I would still address those points later on. If you like, you can always create a fanfiction account and PM me, I would be happy to entertain your views.**

**Also, I'm sorry that I didn't talk too much about Slowking's rescue mission, but I really don't have much to say about that. I don't want to make them too tired when they fight Mewtwo. What I felt was more important was the scene going on IN the Fantasy. **

**On an unrelated note... here is what is going on in the Land of the Dead. ( No impact on story)**

**Froakie : WHY YOU SO DENSE SLOWPOKE? IT'S SO OBVIOUS TREECKO DID IT**

**Mareep : NO! It's Growlithe. He ate me! **

**Froakie: WHAT? There are two murderers?**

**Gligar: Shut up and watch the show.**


	6. The Unlikely Alliance Forms

Chapter 6 (The Unlikely Alliance Forms)

**I'm terribly sorry about the long wait, and I sincerely apologise for another longer wait for the next chapter. It's a wonder that I even managed to write this. **

**Well, back to the story I guess...**

(Treecko's POV)

[Before Froakie's death]

As Froakie stormed off, Slowpoke and I could only stare helplessly.

"Do you think we should tell him the truth?" I whispered. I felt an ounce of guilt as I watched Froakie clench his tiny fists in frustration.

Slowpoke waved his hand dismissively. "It's too late for that. Given his agitated state, there is no way he would listen to us. He would have even more motivation to attack you." he replied.

"I hope you are right."

"Trust me on this. Froakie would be fine," reassured Slowpoke. Strangely, doubt still lingered in my mind. Something told me that since Mareep had just died without rhyme or reason, the same fate might be bestowed upon Froakie. Being the appointed murderer of the Fantasy Games, I simply couldn't empathise with the plight faced by the others. I could never experience the panic, the anxiety and the terror that plagued their minds every single day, never knowing when they would meet their doom.

Seeing that I was unconvinced, Slowpoke gave me a warm smile. Well, that's what I perceive he was trying to do. In reality, I saw a synthetic movement of the lips, with a stern warning flashing in his tiny black irises. The message was clear: "Don't you dare hurt anyone else." I returned the false grin, the empty message of affirmation. While Slowpoke nodded his acknowledgement, the hidden misery in my heart escalated, waiting to take the new form of liquid salty tears.

Realising that there was nothing much we could do now, Slowpoke suggested that we return to his room. Wanting to prove my innocence, I went along with his idea. While I'm within close proximity of Slowpoke, let's see what else he can say if another Pokemon kicks the bucket.

Surprisingly, Slowpoke sensed my forlornness.

"Treecko, I'm sorry for my earlier mistrust of you. If I had passed any hurtful remarks, I sincerely apologise for my mean behaviour. It's just that... if you were innocent, I simply can't imagine anyone else harming Mareep. But I should have trusted you." he apologised, patting his stubby hand on my shoulder. I glanced at him, and finally saw the sincere smile that I wanted. I felt a warm glow in my heart. Slowpoke still trusts me!

"It's really alright. I understand that you have valid reasons for suspecting me. But let's just forget this incident shall we? We have a Mewtwo to defeat." I replied, happiness circulating in my body. I leaned forward and gave Slowpoke an encouraging peck on the cheek. "Aww... you are still as cute as before!" I giggled, breaking into infectious peals of laughter as Slowpoke turned into a bright shade of red.

"Well, I'm happy that the misunderstanding has been cleared." Slowpoke replied with a hint of embarrassment. "And do excuse me for a moment, I need to go to the washroom. Stay here." he continued, causing me to chortle even louder.

I lay on the bed, staring into the snow white ceiling. For once, my mind was devoid of thoughts. I didn't know that staring at a blank wall could be so fun. I felt a calming tranquility caress me as I entered into a state of zen, as though I was extracting meaning from a simple white canvas. It felt so blissful, so lovely and so..."Waaaaaaaaaaa".

Darn, who was that making such a racket. "Waaa!" the same ear-splitting feral cry pierced the peaceful silence. The morbid wails sent shivers down my slender spine. What on earth was happening? I rushed out of the room, disregarding Slowpoke's earlier instructions. "It's okay, once I stop a potential death, Slowpoke would instead be pleased." I told myself.

The high pitched cry seemed to come from Froakie's room. Without any hesitation I hastened towards it and rapped on Froakie's door frantically...

What soon happened after was a flurry of activity that I could not even properly describe it. The only result that arose from that meeting was Froakie's suicide as he jumped out of his window.I could only stand there and watch him fall to his death, with a stream of clear water erupting from my eyes. I... really should have explained everything to Froakie. But it was too late. Reeling from the shock, my feet were rooted to the ground, and I felt the same emptiness of thoughts in my exhausted mind. Unfortunately, it felt terrible.

I must have stood there for a really long time for the next thing I felt was Slowpoke dragging me towards the familiar staircase leading to the highest floor of the Fantasy. That reminds me, I haven't been there in a while. Maybe some star gazing might calm my nerves.

Apparently Slowpoke didn't have the same intentions.

"So why did you kill Froakie?" Slowpoke hissed. It was barely audible, but the burning fury was evident in that statement, ready to explode at the slightest disturbance.

"I didn't! I swear I didn't! Froakie committed suicide!" I rattled off. "I heard wails from Froakie's room and I decided to..."

"In case you didn't hear me correctly, I did not ask you if you killed Froakie. I asked WHY?" barked Slowpoke, adding stress to the last word. "I do remember asking you to stay in the room. Why did you disobey my clear instructions?" he continued, temper escalating by the second.

"I'm telling you I didn't attack Froakie! I heard his cries, and when I reached his room, I saw him jump out of his room. Why won't you believe me?" I shrieked, with my never-ending stream of tears pouring down my cheeks.

"Because you are deliberately making it hard for me to believe you! If you had STAYED IN THE ROOM, there is no way I could accuse you of being the culprit. I would then have to accept the possibility of him being attacked by someone else or him committing suicide. But once you leave, all the evidence points towards you! Which sane innocent would harm other Pokemon in this game? Why would Froakie commit suicide if he is so adamant about his accusation of you being the murderer? Just by logical deduction, we can surmise that you were the culprit!" accused Slowpoke

"Furthermore, look at the ones who have died. Upon closer inspection, you would realise that the latest two dead Pokemon would have little chance against you due to their relatively weaker typing. If Growlithe had died, it wouldn't make sense for me to believe that you had killed him. But look! Froakie and Mareep, easy targets for you. All you need is a couple of Leaf Blades and voila! They die. Come to think of it, suit yourself if you want to win. Because you can't. Even if you do kill me, which I would willingly sacrifice myself, I can't imagine you taking on Growlithe and Mienfoo. Mienfoo knows that Growlithe is innocent, and after some thinking Growlithe would also realise that you have to be the murderer. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's no way you can win." he declared, looking at me with mock pity.

"But if I don't even want to win..." I protested. "In fact, I wanted to give up til you persuaded me to stay on..."

"Oh that reminds me. Yes, you probably wanted to give up. THEN. But now, I actually think that after seeing this second chance, you definitely want to try your luck at another chance of survival It's the same idea with someone who is unsure if he wants to live anymore. One moment he gives up on life, and the next moment, the will to live is preventing him from killing himself. You probably don't believe that Mewtwo can be stopped, and want to abuse this trust I have in you to commit more murders in the naive hope of getting out alive, while forgetting that after Froakie's death, you have no more options. I really don't blame you, as many other Pokemon in your shoes would have done the same thing... but I'm just disappointed..." Slowpoke retorted.

My heart shattered into a million pieces, with the razor-sharp shards sinking into my organs in a merciless stabbing frenzy. I could not believe what I just heard. Never in my life did I expect Slowpoke to think me in such a malicious light. I never expected his trust in me to be so inadequate, easily falling apart after a few pieces of "evidence". My tears became far more energetic, bursting out of my eyes with greater force and velocity.

"I'm just disappointed that you do not have a single bit of trust in me! I can't fathom why you would see me as such a cunning individual. It's alright for you to say those mean words if I'm just a random contestant here, but you said you loved me! I'm no love expert, but by using common sense, isn't it obvious that couples should trust one another? I would have you know, I never doubted you ever since you confessed your feelings for me. I might have doubted the feasibility of your plan, but I never doubted your intentions, nor did I have the notion that you would backstab me by revealing my identity. I always believed in you, and what do I get in return? Nonsensical accusations from someone who claims to love me! How could you?..." I yelled, releasing all the furious thoughts in my mind...

[let's take a break here and say hi to Mienfoo, everyone's favourite character.]

[Mienfoo: Wow, I didn't know people liked me. I haven't had my turn in ages

A: I was being sarcastic. You suck. No one likes you, that's why you don't get your POV

Mienfoo: What did I do wrong?

A: You let Caterpie die.

Mienfoo: Shouldn't I blame you for that? You sadistic author...

And dark clouds started forming over Mienfoo's head in the indoor Fantasy castle. Lightning streaked across the dark clouds, threatening to tear it apart. Another lightning bolt seemed directed at Mienfoo.

Mienfoo: I meant to say that the author is the best guy in the universe! He is so awesome! Arceus bless him for eternity!

A: That's better. I might let you live.]

[okay, that was for the lulz, ignore all the square brackets, they aren't relevant to the story]

(Mienfoo's POV)

Funnily enough, I did not feel the usual pang of sadness with Mewtwo's announcement of Froakie's death. It seemed like I was getting used to murders committed on such a regular basis. [See, thats why you suck]

I did not even bother walking to the location of Froakie's body. I totally ignored it. I might seem like I have given up, but the truth is: I don't want my actions to be the cause of another innocent death. I had already caused the deaths of Drilbur and Chimchar because of "impeccable" logic, and I'm not going to make another wrong judgment. I believed in the philosophy that the guilty can escape scot free, but the innocent must never be harmed. [such hypocrisy, look what you have done earlier]

There was no more life in me. My lips were in a straight line, displaying zero emotion. My legs were cramped, so I left my bedroom, and walked to the dining room, before sitting down again. I stared at my empty plate, before rising to walk back to my room. I knew that no one could beat me in a duel, so at least I never had the fear of being attacked.

But my journey to my room was interrupted by an annoying puppy. Growlithe growled at me, albeit in a non-threatening manner. Feeling curious, I walked towards him, eager to hear what he wanted to say.

"Hey Mienfoo." Growlithe yelped. I was a little surprised. All signs of the haughtiness exuded in the past had vanished. Growlithe was a shadow of his former self, worn down by the hellish Fantasy Games. Growlithe stealing Caterpie's ride seemed a distant past. I actually felt some sympathy towards him.

"Hmm... what brings you here?" I asked.

"After much consideration, I have come to a decision. Let's make an alliance."

"WHAT? WHY? Sorry but I don't trust you." I exclaimed I was dumbfounded by his request. In this frightening scenario where tensions are sky high and trust was non-existent, here was Growlithe asking me to team up!

" Because... after much thought I believe that you are innocent." Growlithe replied. I could sense the uncertainty in his voice. Perhaps he is innocent too. But I'm puzzled as why he thinks I'm innocent. Even from an objective point of view, I could have easily committed all the murders.

"Initially, I actually suspected you to be the murderer. But after a while, I suspected that if Axew was innocent, it's not possible for her to be so deranged to the extent of falsely blaming Treecko for pouring the bucket of sludge on Kecleon. Treecko must have had the move Double Team. Remember her suspicious Leer attack? She was probably hiding her last moveslot. Furthermore, only Treecko could be fast enough to outrun Froakie twice during his pursuit of her. I'm not sure about you, but when I saw you attacking Drilbur, your movements weren't that nimble. Don't get me wrong, you are quick, but Treecko's dexterity far surpasses yours. Moreover, you are a Fighting typed Pokemon. I don't think you could mask your emotions so well to deceiving others into thinking that you feel genuine sorrow for your mistakes." Growlithe explained.

"So... if you think Treecko is the one, why don't you kill her yourself?" I questioned.

"Slowpoke guards her like a precious gem. The two of them are always together. I don't have the ability to sneak up on them, and I can't overpower both of them. Furthermore, considering that Slowpoke doesn't like me, he wouldn't believe me anyway. That's why I need your help. We might have trouble dealing with Slowpoke, but with the two of us that shouldn't be too big a problem."

"Which brings me to my next point. Before Froakie died, he actually told me that there could be two murderers. If this was true, the murderers would not have a problem in dealing with Natu and Croagunk, as Slowpoke could help to kill them, erasing the blame on Treecko. If you were the murderer, both you and Treecko would have a difficult time trying to kill the first two victims." Growlithe replied, his doubt gradually fading away.

I wanted to interrupt Growlithe about the insult that I couldn't defeat Natu or Croagunk, but I decided against it. Why would I want to make myself appear more suspicious? Well, what he said made sense.

"So... what plans do you have now?" I remarked. "I don't wanna stick with you all the time. That thought is really disturbing."

"Actually, that's a good idea. Because if you don't trust me, staying near me ensures that I'm not going to carry out any murders in front of you. In that case, if Slowpoke or Treecko dies, we know who the murderer is." Growlithe exclaimed.

"Oh my Arceus! You have a valid point there!" I gasped. I was in awe at Growlithe's sudden brainwave. Finally he was contributing something to get rid of the murderer. [shut up Mienfoo, apart from killing two innocents, you didn't do much either.]

So we ended up walking around the Fantasy, walking to our rooms and back to the dining room, occasionally walking towards the park before hastily turning back... until...

"I SWEAR TO ARCEUS! YES I ADMIT IT! I KILLED CROAGUNK, NATU, CATERPIE, AND EVEN AXEW! BUT I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE DEATHS OF MAREEP AND FROAKIE! WHY WON'T YOU BELIEVE ME? I DIDN'T HURT THEM! I'M TELLING THE TRUTH!" a feminine scream exploded, causing deafening sonic booms reverberating around the Fantasy. The words blared in my mind, ringing incessantly in my ears.

"Well, look what we've got." Growlithe smirked as he bounded up the staircase in front of him.

I immediately followed suit, eager to end this nightmare once and for all...

**Well, ell, ell, how was this chapter? Please leave reviews for me to improve!**

**I apologise in advance for an expected delay in the update of this story.**

**Apologies to make: **

**1) Sparky Magnezone: " Make it go to 40 chapters or so!"** **Sorry dude, that's quite impossible. In fact, my story is going to end soon.**

**2) Everyone who posted something that I should work on. I'm currently too lazy to do that. BUT I WOULD EVENTUALLY EDIT THE ERRORS.**

**3) Well, I thought there would be more. If you found the square brackets annoying, I'm sorry.**

**By the way, there would be two endings to this story. I'm not sure what you readers would want. Maybe I should set a poll. (Actually I already have an idea in mind.) Bear in mind that after the "official" ending, I would immediately work on the alternate ending, which also starts from the next chapter. (chapter 1-6 is the same for both endings.)**

**Finally, WHY IS IT THAT ALL THOSE STORIES I'M FOLLOWING ALWAYS GET STOPPED HALFWAY! Coincidentally, the two writers I'm referring to are "busy with college" (Platrium you are one of them). Darn**

**PS: epicskitty can i just say that I hate you? XD just kidding, but I was a bit annoyed that you stopped working on your whodunnit fanfiction. I wanna read that! (it seriously had potential)**


	7. The Overdue Help Arrives

Chapter 7a ( The Overdue Help Arrives)

**I told you there would be an extraordinary long wait. I hoped no one lost interest in the story. Anyway, here goes!**

(Narrator)

Mienfoo and Growlithe bounded up the staircase, finally knowing who the murderer was. Mienfoo's heart thumped against his pale yellow chest, threatening to jump out of its body. Growlithe's feet were trembling as he ran, almost slipping on a stair.

"Stop right there!" Growlithe howled as he burst into the summit of the Fantasy, stomping his feet on the cold marble floor.

"It's over, we know you are the murderer Treecko. I can finally avenge Caterpie's death." Mienfoo hissed, exuding a nasty aura of vengeance.

Treecko merely stared at them. The word panic, along with its synonyms had suddenly vanished from her dictionary. She turned her head slowly, looking Slowpoke in the eye.

"Well, it was nice knowing you Slowpoke. See, what did I tell you? Your plan wouldn't work. The only thing it could achieve... was the deaths of two other Pokemon." she whispered wistfully.

"No... you should have followed my instructions. I clearly said not to kill any more Pokemon! Why didn't you listen? WHY?" The hushed rebuttals of Slowpoke escalated into wild cacophonies of protests.

"I would say it once more. I was not responsible for the deaths of Mareep and Froakie." Treecko snapped, clenching her fists.

"Why are you still lying now? It's already over!" Slowpoke wailed, tears bubbling in his eyes.

"I am telling the truth!" Treecko thundered. "But it probably doesn't make a difference anymore, does it? I'm dead anyway.."

"Oh no! It does make a difference!" Mewtwo chimed in, appearing out of nowhere, cackling away like a lunatic. "We must always seek the truth, no matter the cost. Slowpoke, I expected more from you. How could you not trust your beloved Treecko? Well, let me spill the beans alright? The Pokemon responsible for the death of Mareep is none other than our carnivorous friend Growlithe!"

"You... mean to say... Mareep was eaten by Growlithe?" Mienfoo stuttered, jaws wide open in disbelief.

"Of course! Otherwise, how would you explain the disappearance of Mareep's dead body? How could you pokes be so stupid?" Mewtwo smirked.

"Oh my Arceus! How could you be so evil Growlithe? I thought although you were such a nuisance, you wouldn't be so cruel as to devour Mareep!" Mienfoo yelled, pointing an accusing finger.

"Blame it on those fools who broke Mewtwo's rules, causing us to lose out on our lunch! I needed to satisfy my burning hunger. Anyway, does it matter? We got our culprit. Once we kill Treecko, everything's solved! We can all go home, and trust me, Mareep's death would be the last thing on your mind when you jump into the arms of your mother Mienshao." Growlithe retorted.

At the last sentence, Mienfoo's disdain towards Growlithe dissipated just as quickly as it arrived. He could imagine himself snuggling into his mother's comforting arms. And his father would be smiling with pride that Mienfoo managed to survive this ordeal.

But, before that could happen, he needed to obliterate this fiendish gecko before him.

"You are right, Growlithe. Let's get rid of Treecko once and for all!" Mienfoo snarled before hurtling towards Treecko with a Jump Kick, only to be interrupted with a gush of water.

"Stop this madness." came the cold, frosty command. Mienfoo whirled around, staring daggers into Slowpoke.

"Why aren't you helping to get rid of our enemy? Don't tell me you are her accomplice!"

"Hear me out. If Growlithe had not killed Mienfoo, my plan would have worked."

"Sure, your plan of letting Treecko win huh? I'll wager that you two are the murderers!"

Slowpoke breathed deeply, trying his utmost to keep his cool. "I broke the Memory Chamber because I wanted my dad Slowking to come and save us. Think about it, we can't be the only ones participating in the Fantasy Games. Every year, there is bound to be some Pokemon being called to the Games. Therefore, I surmised that if the Memory Chamber was broken, they would regain their memories and hopefully work together to save us and defeat Mewtwo, preventing further innocent victims from being claimed. If I didn't have this intention, there's no reason for me to go through all those trouble to break the chamber. I would just pronounce Treecko guilty and we would live. But do you want to see more Pokemon being killed every year? Upon finding out that Treecko was the murderer, I had instructed her not to kill any more Pokemon, which she readily agreed. In other words, if Growlithe had not interfered with my plans, Mareep and Froakie would have survived..."

"And they would still be killed in the end." retorted Growlithe. "Don't be so naive. Even if you did break the chamber, what are the odds of all the survivors of the event going through so much trouble to try to save us? These survivors could be from all over the world, spanning across different regions and towns. It's impossible for them to get together and make their way to the Fantasy. Moreover, do they even know where the Fantasy is? We were brought here in a van, so we couldn't see which route the Houndooms took when bringing us here. In fact, we don't even have a clue on which region the Fantasy is! Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, we can't even tell! Even if for some stroke of luck Slowking could gather half the survivors together, and even managed to find their way to the Fantasy, don't you think the task of stopping Mewtwo is near impossible? It's Mewtwo, for Arceus's sake. Don't listen to his naive ideas Mienfoo, what's of paramount importance is that we reach home safely."

Sadly, despite Slowpoke's best efforts, Mienfoo was still inclined to believe Growlithe's argument. Mienfoo, like a typical Fighting type Pokemon, didn't really believe in miracles. Probability dominated his thought process, and as Growlithe went over every single criteria that had to be met before Mewtwo could be stopped, Mienfoo was more and more sceptical of Slowpoke's plan. The possibility of Mewtwo being defeated whittled down from a mere chance to near zero, which Mienfoo's mathematics teacher would have said : "Round it down."

"Slowpoke, Growlithe is right. Listen to him for once. There's really no chance for Mewtwo to be defeated. To prevent any more innocent deaths, let's kill Treecko. I'm sorry Treecko, I never had anything against you. Throughout this event you were actually rather nice. I don't even blame you for Caterpie's death. But I think your death is for the greater good." Mienfoo forced a bitter smile.

"Well, let's get this over alright?" Growlithe declared, before charging at Treecko with a Flare Blitz, only to be halted by Slowpoke's Psybeam. However, instead of disappearing, the flames on Growlithe's red hot body blazed even more.

" I'm still believing in my plan, especially after I wrongly blamed Treecko for Mareep's death. Just hang in there for a while more alright?"

"Never! I guess maybe we would have to kill you too, since you stand in our way!" Growlithe roared as he bulldozed towards Slowpoke with his body crackling with electricity instead of the usual raging fires.

Slowpoke was about to summon his Water Gun but Growlithe was too quick. The canine rammed into Slowpoke, sending jolts of electricity buzzing around Slowpoke. "How on earth did you move so fast? You weren't like that earlier on!" Slowpoke squealed, writhing in pain.

"Thank me Growlithe." Mewtwo simply replied. "Oh by the way, I've unlocked every single of your rooms, so none of you can lock yourself up in a room hoping to escape."

"Stop it Growlithe! Slowpoke isn't our main enemy. We must focus on killing Treecko!" Mienfoo exclaimed.

"But we need to disable Slowpoke from getting into our way."

"Fine, then hit him once more before changing our target alright?" Mienfoo commanded.

Growlithe pounced on Slowpoke with a savage Bite attack, before turning around to begin his pursuit of Treecko.

"Treecko, run! I... would be okay..." Slowpoke wheezed before slumping to the ground.

Treecko didn't need any more reminders. She whizzed past Growlithe and Mienfoo, sprinting away at lightning speed. The duo screamed battle cries as they chased after her. Unfortunately, because of the disparity in speed, the gap between them was growing larger every second. Soon, Treecko vanished from their sight.

"She couldn't have gone far! This place isn't too big." Mienfoo declared.

"Shall we split up? I look for her in the dining room, and you hunt her down in the park." Growlithe suggested.

"What if you get killed?"

"Dude, I should be asking you that. I'm a Fire type. Nevertheless if Treecko really believes Slowpoke's plan, I doubt she would put up a strong fight anyway. I don't think she would like to hurt anymore Pokemon."

Mienfoo nodded in agreement as they split up, widening his tiny eyes at any sign of movement, ready to fight one last duel.

...

Growlithe entered the dining room, sniffing eagerly. Mewtwo seemed aware that a fight was about to take place, and had removed the furniture so as to make room for a potential fight. Perhaps this was a hint that Treecko was hiding here.

The dining room had changed into some sort of battle arena. The ground had become rough and sandy, and there were rocks of different sizes on the ground. [think of Brock's Gym] The magical staircase containing the bucket of sludge had also disappeared Growlithe reckoned that Treecko would be hiding behind one of the rocks.

"Come on out Treecko! It's over. There's no need to delay the inevitable." Growlithe bellowed.

No response.

"So I see that this Fantasy Games end off with a simple hide-and-seek. How boring." Growlithe yawned as he crawled past the brown rocks, hoping to find something green.

"Don't try to hide here." he called

Whoosh. A sound emerged from a rock.

Growlithe's ears stood up. So this was Treecko's plan! Alternating her hiding place so as to confuse Growlithe. Thankfully he had sharp ears.

But darn, he wasn't fast enough to catch her. He thought of running out and calling Mienfoo to aid him in his search, but he figured that the moment he left the room, Treecko would also leave, searching for another hiding place.

A great idea hatched in Growlithe's mind. Since she was going to just stay in the dining room til he leaves, he could just incinerate the room, scorching Treecko to death.

And he , he didn't have a Fire move that could cover a huge area. Dashing about with Flare Blitz could work, but when he was far enough from the entrance, Treecko would have the opportunity to escape.

"Such a pity that you didn't have Flamethrower." Mewtwo giggled gaily. "How about this, I give you a mechanical flamethrower, and you can ignite the room. I hate cowards who don't dare to fight anyway."

Poof! A flamethrower did appear next to Growlithe. Growlithe hastily picked it up, and pressed the only button on it, causing a blast of fire to torch the ground. Wasting no time, he sparked off infernos near the entrance of the room, before slowly descending deeper, spraying the flamethrower like a crazed arsonist.

And just when he was about to reach the end of the room, all the flames suddenly got extinguished, including his flamethrower.

"Hahaha! I tricked you! Treecko's not even here in the first place! In fact, the whoosh sound you heard was sent to you through telepathy. What a joke, a Fire type using a mechanical flamethrower!" Mewtwo broke into hysterical laughter.

"Damn you!" exploded Growlithe as he flew into a maddening rage, casting misdirected Flare Blitzes to a nearby wall. "Hey, don't expect me to give you Potions all the time!" Mewtwo giggled.

...

Mienfoo sauntered into the park, looking around furtively in case of an imminent ambush. He noticed that the park had also changed. The maze of trees had vanished. What was left was a plain, grassy battlefield with several trees and shrubs scattered around it. Mienfoo was about to climb up one of the trees when he saw Treecko just waiting for him calmly, like a condemned prisoner awaiting his execution.

"I thought you would wanna hide somewhere." Mienfoo muttered.

"Well, if you are looking for a fight, I'm game for one. I don't mind having one more dead, since you probably wouldn't be of much use in the fight against Mewtwo." Treecko replied.

"You sound confident that you could beat me." Mienfoo said.

"Why not?" Treecko smiled, before splitting herself into several doppelgangers. With a cry the geckos lunged forward with a Leaf Blade. Mienfoo knew he wouldn't be able to dodge them, so he summoned an invisible barrier, protecting himself from the onslaught with a Detect. The geckos were surrounding him, each having looks of shock. Mienfoo merely grinned before using U-turn, bumping into one illusion before bouncing back, hitting another illusion. Seeing the success of the move in destroying the illusions, Mienfoo repeated his process, slowly destroying the illusions around him.

**Illusions**

In the midst of darting about, he was oblivious to the real Treecko's disappearance, as she hid on a tree branch behind him. Upon his clearance of the doppelgangers, she jumped down with an Aerial Ace, crashing into him with her weight and slicing his back with the amplified effectiveness of the move. As she proceeded to strike him with a Leaf Blade, Mienfoo hurriedly protected himself with a detect, his eyes turning azure as he re-summoned the invisible barrier. Treecko smirked in disbelief as she stood in front of him. Once Mienfoo's eyes lost their glow, before he could launch another attack, Treecko's nimble reflexes had the upper hand, and she whipped Mienfoo with another Aerial Ace, slamming Mienfoo into a tree, causing a pool of ruby liquid to burst from his lacerated back wounds.

"I expected more from you." Treecko scoffed as she watched Mienfoo whimper in pain, before turning around to leave. "But I'm not going to kill you as I believe in Slowpoke's plan. Nevertheless, if it does fail in the end, just know that you are doomed."

However, Treecko's didn't overestimate Mienfoo. After all, Mienfoo was a seasoned fighter. Coupled with access to better recovery due to Regenerator , Mienfoo was not someone who was easily defeated.

**It's always a bad idea to walk away from an opponent without making sure he is defeated. It's even worse if you walk in a straight line from a Mienfoo with his devastating Jump Kick.**

Mienfoo regained enough energy to fight, before stealthily sneaking behind the unaware gecko.

**If you don't expect to see something, you never will.**

In this case, Treecko never expected Mienfoo to attack her again. Stealthily wasn't a good way to describe Mienfoo's movements. In fact, to an ordinary Treecko who was not absorbed in her thoughts about Slowpoke's condition, Mienfoo's footsteps would be described as "louder than a Boomburst".

When Mienfoo felt he was close enough, he sprang towards her with a tremendous Jump Kick, knocking her backwards, before using a U-turn, hitting her and bouncing back for him to unleash another Jump Kick. Treecko was caught by surprise and was flung to the charcoal walls of the Fantasy. Different spectrums of red blood spilled out of her forehead and indigo bruises quickly formed on her arms. "Game... over..." Mienfoo, still reeling from his earlier injuries, gasped as he took one more leap at the dazed Treecko, preparing to win the Fantasy Games with one last Jump Kick...

**But when there is a will to live, miracles happen.**

Treecko forced herself to ignore her stinging pain, and tossed herself sideways, grimacing as Mienfoo crashed into the same spot that Treecko was just moments ago. Blood spurted out from Mienfoo's entire body like a fountain, flowing in all directions. Mienfoo lay motionlessly, his limbs still buried into the dent he made in the Fantasy. "So this is how it..." he thought, being in too much pain to even think.

Treecko was also suffering the aftermath of her straining her wounds, and was too exhausted to continue fighting. Miraculously, she eventually managed to get up on her feet, but decided not to kill Mienfoo. Treecko staggered towards the inside of the Fantasy, desperate to confirm the fact that Slowpoke was still okay, oblivious to her own injuries.

...

Growlithe realised that Treecko should be somewhere in the park, hurried there hoping that Treecko would have been killed. But his hopes were dashed upon their appearance, as Mewtwo had not made a single announcement.

Upon seeing Mienfoo's motionless body. Growlithe screamed in terror as he bounded towards the Martial Arts Pokemon, praying fervently that Mienfoo was still alive. Remembering the absence of Mewtwo's announcement, he sighed in relief. Growlithe placed a paw on Mienfoo's soft yellow chest, and was glad that Mienfoo was alright.

Mienfoo soon regained a little of his strength, and with the aid of Growlithe he was able to get back on his feet. Mienfoo was about to walk but Growlithe put a gentle yet firm paw on his shoulder.

" Get some rest, we need you to be stronger before we fight again. I'll carry you on my back to the Fantasy once you are feeling better." Growlithe said.

...

Treecko climbed up the staircase hastily, hoping that Slowpoke was fine.

"Slowpoke! Are you alright?" Treecko exclaimed. It was ironic, given that Slowpoke was probably the least tired among the remaining Pokemon.

"Look at you! What happened to you? Darn, I should have helped you! Why did I stay here?" Slowpoke cried.

Treecko looked at her still bleeding body, before replying: " I'm alright. Don't worry about me. I'm okay."

"I..."

A wave of emotion swept across Slowpoke as he suddenly pulled Treecko towards him and gave her a tight hug.

"I'm sorry for doubting you all the time! I should have trusted you! Even a few minutes before Mewtwo declared Growlithe's murder of Mareep, I always thought that you killed her! I finally believe you when you say Froakie committed suicide. I'm so sorry! And I even made you so upset, forcing you to scream your guilt. This wouldn't have happened if I wasn't so doubtful of you. Mienfoo and Growlithe wouldn't have known!It's all my fault!" Slowpoke wailed, tears pouring down his pinkish cheeks.

"Don't reproach yourself anymore, I would have done the same too. It's nice enough of you to attempt to save me in the first place. I'm really grateful for that." Treecko said, giving Slowpoke a pat on the back before planting a kiss on his pale yellow lips.

"Look at the blood stains! That's where Treecko is now hiding! She can't escape anymore!" Growlithe's deafening roars could be heard from below.

"Let's get them!" Mienfoo's cries rang out loud and clear.

The scene was similar to the background just half an hour ago, the only difference was the injured and fatigued states of Treecko and Mienfoo. But they all knew that the outcome would still be the same as before - the demise of Treecko.

"Stop fighting! We can survive this together!" Slowpoke pleaded, tears welling in his eyes once again.

"No way! I want to live! To hell with those future victims!" Growlithe retorted.

"Slowpoke, just give up."

The other 3 Pokemon turned around and stared at Treecko, who was having a crestfallen look on her emerald green face.

"I don't want to cause any more injury to you Pokemon. I give up. Let me die." she sniffed, putting a Leaf Blade to her own throat.

"Treecko, please..." Slowpoke begged, before looking at another Leaf Blade in front of him.

"Say another word, and you would have a taste of my blade." Treecko warned, before a waterfall of tears crashed down her cheeks. Swiping away her tears madly, she managed to utter her last sentence...

"Goodbye Pokemon, it was nice knowing you pokes. I'll miss you Slowpoke." as she lifted the razor blade, edging closer and closer to her neck.

"3...2...1..." she counted silently, as Growlithe and Mienfoo stared at her in sadness, feeling touched by her selflessness.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Nope, it wasn't Slowpoke.

A door was knocked open and some intruders barged in, namely

a Slowking,

a Vileplume,

a Charizard,

an Absol,

a Zoroark and...

a Conkeldurr from the Land of the Dead.

**Okay, so this concludes this chapter! I assure you the next one wouldn't take too long to appear. I was actually planning to finish the first ending I had in mind here but that would take too long, so... til next time. :D**

**Please leave reviews :D**


End file.
